Tuckers POV throughout Unearthly
by PenMasterEm
Summary: Tucker's point of view of "Unearthly" by Cynthia Hand from the first time he meets Clara, to realizing he loves her, to their first kiss, to the fire and everything in between and possibly, beyond? ;) Hope you enjoy Team Tucker fans!
1. Chapter 1: Meet and Greet

"And speak of the Devil," Wendy says. I feel her grab my sleeve. _What would my twin sister want with me right now?_

"Hey!" I say. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just telling the new girl about my awesome brother and now here you are." Wendy smiles at the new girl. I slightly roll my eyes while Wendy isn't looking. Whatever she was talking about, it certainly wasn't about how awesome I was.

"Behold, Tucker Avery," Wendy says.

I turned to face the new girl. She's the girl who almost ran into me this morning!

"This is Clara," Wendy says.

"You're the one with the Prius who almost rear-ended my truck this morning."

"Oh, sorry about that," she says.

I look at her. _Wow_, I think, _she's beautiful!_ Somehow, "beautiful" didn't begin to describe her. She was tall and thin and had startling eyes that were bluish-gray. She was pale, with delicate hands, her pink lips were smooth. But she had weird hair, carrot orange. _Hmm... Carrots would make a decent nickname..._ Even with weird hair, she was a real sight to behold. She blushed. That has probably got to be the cutest thing I've ever seen. But that doesn't change the fact that she almost ran into Blue Bell.

"From California, right?" I asked. I really hope she wasn't, those Californians got on my nerves, but her driving was really terrible...

"Tucker," Wendy says, with a hint of warning. I ignore her.

"Well, I doubt that I would have done any damage to your truck if I'd hit you," she said. "It looks like the back end is about to rust off."

I felt Wendy go a little rigid. She knows that I don't let anybody talk about Blue Bell that way. But for some reason, I wasn't very hurt by her comments about my truck. I found them charming. But just to put on a show...

"That rusty truck will probably be towing you out of a snowbank next time there's a storm," I say.

"Tucker!" says Wendy. "Don't you have a rodeo team meeting or something?" She's making me leave? Maybe that last comment went too far... Nah! But I really didn't want to go.

"You're the one who wanted to chat," I say to Wendy.

"I didn't know you were going to act like a pig," she shoots back. _Oooh, ouch._

"Fine." I say. I smirk at the new girl playfully, wanting to make her blush again.

"Nice to meet you, Carrots," I say. _The nickname was brilliant! You're such a genius Tuck!_ "Oh, I mean Clara."

As I turn, I glance at her and see that she's blushing again. It brings a smile to my face.

"Same to you, Rusty," she says back. By that time I'm already a few feet away, heading for my rodeo buddies. I hear her laugh and had the urge to turn around and joke with her some more, just to hear her do it again. I think of her name. _Clara_. It was beautiful like she was. I thought of the way I said her name just a few moments ago. I liked the way it felt to have her name escape my lips. _Clara._ I spent the rest of the day thinking about her. Her image engraved in my memory. _Man, I was really falling for her hard. _I didn't have a problem with that. In fact, it made me smile more.


	2. Chapter 2: Burn the Carrots!

I couldn't help but stare at her in Brit History. I've been starring at her every day since she came. She was special and I liked her... a lot. At least we only have one class together, other wise I'd be failing out of high school, but I also wished we had more classes together so I could keep starring. She was such a beauty even if she was just taking notes.

It didn't matter that she insulted Bluebell, (well it did, but not much) I still wanted to know her. I wanted her to like me. I wanted her to notice me. I knew from Wendy that she liked Christian, all the girls liked him. He was a "god" in Wendy's terms. I hope that's all Christian was in Clara's terms.

I dreamed about my hands in her hair, our lips pressed together. I dreamed about her laughing with me, her smiling a special smile that girls give to that special guy they really like. I dreamed about her being all mine all the time.

_Hmm_... Maybe I could get her attention if, hypothetically, I request to burn her? I raised my hand.

"Yes, Mr. Avery,"

"I accuse Sister Clara of practicing witchcraft and I demand that she be burned at the stake," I say.

I catch a glimpse of her startled face. It was extremely fun to tease her. I bet it would be extremely fun to have her in my arms too. She looked so adorable at the moment.

"Well then, we'll have to vote," says Mr. Erikson. "All in favor of Sister Clara's burning, please raise your hands."

A lot of hands went up with mine.

"All in favor of Sister Clara's life," says Mr. Erikson.

Christian raised his hand with the rest of the class. That annoyed me for some reason. _C'mon Tuck, it's not that big of a deal. It doesn't mean anything._ I saw her glance at Christian. That didn't help the annoyance go away.

"Well," Mr. Erikson said. "It seems that Sister Clara has been spared. Continue with your work now."

I see her relax a little. She turns for a second to glare at me before she goes back to her notes. Instead of studying, I sat in my chair giddy for the rest of the period. She looked at me! Carrots turned to look at me! Maybe she likes Christian but at least I wasn't invisible. Even if it was for a second, I was happy she looked at me. I was happy Clara noticed me.


	3. Chapter 3: Ha-Told You So

There's nothing like cars stuck in snowbanks in Jackson. I head over to the recent accident near the ski hill and spot the driver rolling down the window. I peer inside to see who I'm about rescue and find the uncontrollable urge to laugh at the surprise.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" I say. I manage to suppress the laughter but I can't stop grinning like an idiot.

She's sitting in shotgun next to, I assume, her mother. She sees me and her mouth drops open and she's blushing. I bet my horses that she's thinking about the ironic-ness of the situation at hand. See, what can I tell ya, fate has it's way of shaping my commands to reality.

"Hey Carrots," I say. I nod to her brother in the back. "Jeff." I see him nod back, then I turn to Clara's mom. She smiles at me. I can see where Carrots gets her beauty from.

"I don't think we've met," she says. "I'm Maggie Gardner."

"Tucker Avery," I say.

"You're Wendy's brother," she says.

"Yes ma'am," I respond. What can I say, I had the art of being a gentleman drilled in my head. Plus, a good impression on Carrots's mom wouldn't be too bad either.

"We could really use some help," Mrs. Gardner says to me. I see Carrots slump in her seat. Looks like I win this round of our little tease fest.

"Sure thing," I say. "Just sit tight." I jog back to Bluebell for the tow cables. This wasn't going to take long and Bluebell was fit for the job as much as any other truck. It helps that I've done this hundreds of times.

I go back and attach the cables to Mrs. Gardner's car and get into Bluebell. I pulled out Carrots's family smoothly and safely, and (as always) it doesn't take over ten minutes.

I see Mrs. Gardner get out of her car as I collect the cables. Carrots follows her reluctantly. I look up and smile like an idiot again. This is really all too funny!

"In case you couldn't tell, that was my rusty truck towing you out of the snowbank," I say. She's cute when she's embarrassed. She's cute in any time of the day, but especially when she's embarrassed.

"Thank you so much," says Mrs. Gardner. She looks at Carrots who looks like she might explode if she has to say whatever she's about to say.

"Yes, thank you," she grumbles. She's still embarrassed with this whole situation.

"And tell Wendy we said hello," her mom says. Her mom is really nice.

"Will do. Nice to meet you ma'am," I say.

_Time to leave._ I get into Bluebell and head up the ski hill to teach the beginners skiing lesson at 9. I look at my watch. _I'm going to be late!_

I think about Carrots again. Had she ever skied before today? Will I be able to see her again? Maybe I could follow her later and accidentally bump into her. And if we fell, maybe I could help her up. Maybe she'd really say thank you to me again. Maybe she'd start to like me. Maybe that fall we take will bring us together. _Ok, enough with the day dreaming. You know that stuff only happens in movies._ I couldn't help it. She was special and maybe skiing will bring us together, who knows. Fate has it's way of shaping my commands to reality and I have a feeling I'll get my chance to be her knight and shining armor and much more. I'll just wait and see.


	4. Chapter 4: Up and Down the Hill We Go

I am late! Not by much, but I was still late. I've never been late to the beginners ski class before since it's the best thing ever and I hate to let down anyone's first time skiing. Judging by all the kids around screaming and chasing each other, my student's probably not going to mind much but I still felt really bad.

I look down at my watch again as I rear around the corner knowing that someone's already there waiting for me.

"Sorry I'm late," I say. "I had to drag some Californians out of the snowbank." I look up just before she turns to look at me.

_HOLY COW! It's Carrots!_

"Lucky for them," she says. I can tell she's giving me a mental eye roll by her expression. I must look like a doof again since I can't believe I'm seeing her again today and I'm going to teach her how to ski!

"So you go around pulling idiots out of the snow and teaching them to ski," she says.

I shrug. "It pays for the season pass," I reply. I try not to let my answer bother me, but I can't help it. Not everyone comes from rich parents who dote on them every second of their lives so their children don't have to work so hard to have fun. I've never been self-conscious about my living situation before and I'm not sure I like feeling that way right now. She can see that I work hard, can't she? _C'mon Tuck, you know she isn't really thinking about your living situation. She could care less. _

"Are you any good at it?" she asks.

I smile. I know she's talking about teaching people to ski but what's the fun in that answer?

"Pulling idiots out of snow? I'm the best," I say grinning like an idiot again. She does that to me, make me grin like nobody's business.

"Ha-ha. You're hilarious," she says sarcastically. "No-teaching them to ski."

"I guess you'll find out," I say. I was tempted to wink at her, but she'd probably not appreciate me flirting with her when she came her to learn to ski.

I spend the first few minutes showing her the basics-the way to position her skis, how to balance, turn, and stop. I can see her relax as she gets the hang of it. That's the thing about skiing, it looks terrifying but it's actually quite easy. That doesn't last when I tell her to get on the rope tow.

"It's easy," I say to her. "Just hold on to it and let it tug you up the hill. When you get to the top, let go." I don't know why I told her that. She could obviously figure it out with common sense, but I guess it helps me calm down a little to hear everything out and maybe it would do the same for her.

I watch her as she gets to the top of the hill. It's really easy and a great place for beginners to learn. There are no trees and it's not a long way down. The only thing she has to worry about is running into a little kid. When she gets to the top she hesitates. _Come of Carrots, you can do this._

"Come on!" I shout to her. Maybe that'll give her some motivation to get down here. "The snow won't bite."

I works cause she starts positioning her skis and she's back to a determined looking girl I see whenever we talk to eat other (which is not as much as I hoped).

She pushes off with the grace of a bird flying through the sky. Her strange carrot orange hair blowing behind her as she zig-zags her way down the hill. She was beautiful and perfect... too perfect. This can't possibly be her first time skiing. She has to have done this before. Even my first time one this hill with Wendy resulted us two falling at least 12 times before we got to the end. But if it isn't her first time, why did she sign up for the class of first timers?

She stops perfectly in front of me with windblown hair and pink cheeks from the cold. She's grinning a lot and I almost forget how jealous I am. _Woah woah woah! Me? Jealous? When did that happen?_ As I think about it more, I am jealous of her. Before long, she'll be skiing with the pros.

"Maybe I could try it the other way," she says. "With my skis straight."

She's looking at me questioningly. Probably wondering why I'm starring and looking a little upset.

"I guess you want me to believe this is your first time skiing," I say.

She seems slightly taken aback by this. I can tell then that she really hasn't skied until today.

"Should I try again?" she asks me.

"Yeah," I say. "I think you should try it again."

I go up with her this time. She still doesn't fall. Everything she's doing is beautiful and graceful and so confident as if she's done this her whole life but she's probably never seen snow until coming to Jackson Hole this year. Why am I so upset about this?

We go a few more times (three more I think) and I watch her closely. She completely rocked the parallel style but it was just weird. If there was even such a thing as a skiing prodigy, they would've fallen at least a thousand times and she hasn't fallen once.

When we're at the bottom of hill on out fifth run, I confront her.

"I've been teaching for two years," I say,"and this is the first time anyone has ever made it through the hour without falling down once."

"I have good balance," she says. "I used to dance. Back in California. Ballet."

I didn't know that and I could just picture her just as graceful and confident on the dance floor. For some reason, this doesn't cheer me up as much as it would if this were just random information from a random conversation. She's not telling me something, I know it. It's just impossible to be _this_ good the first time you ski. I stare at her for a while, narrowing my eyes to see if I could see through her for the truth, but I give up.

"Well, that's it," I suddenly say. "End of lesson." I can tell I surprised her. I felt a little bad. I was treating her like a jerk and I don't like treating people like jerks. Especially girls. Especially her. But this was weird and I just needed to ski and think. I turn to the lodge and start to go.

She calls after me. "What should I do now?"

"Try the chair lift," I call back. I ski away leaving her where she was. I feel bad. All I can think about is how perfect she is and whether or not I deserve her. This wasn't how I planned to end the day with her. I guess Fate did grant my wish to see her again, but sometimes it can be cruel and twisted. Like now. Could she really fall for me? Clara, the perfect new girl who I like so much already? _Yes, she can._ I think to myself over and over again. Now, I'm even more determined to prove that thought right.


	5. Bonus Chapter: A Glimpse Into the Past

**I know I know, this is a Tucker POV fanfic, but you have to admit that after reading "Boundless", Christian isn't so bad and he grows on you (not saying that I wasn't an all out Team Tucker fan, I just felt a connection with Christian while simultaneously rooting for Tucker). So, I decided to write a little story related to Christian to mix it up a little. Please don't hate me and I hope you enjoy! x)P**

Mom was holding my hand as we walked to our secret place in the woods. She smelled like flowers in sunshine and her hand was soft in mine. I saw flashes of bright gold hit her hair when we walked under the little peaks of the sun's rays coming through the trees. Mom was beautiful and I was happy to be with her right now.

We go to our secret spot when we want to get away from sad stuff or stuff that worries us. It's our place to let go. It's a round clearing that has flowers and grass as soft as silk. There's a little swing under the tree in the middle of our secret place that Uncle Walter made for me when we moved. I still swing on it because I love how Mom laughs when I giggle and tell Uncle Walter to push me higher. Mom always says to me that I'm all she ever needs to be happy. She's all I ever need to be happy too.

Today Uncle Walter isn't with us. It's just Mom and I and sometimes I think I like that best.

Mom always brings a basket filled with desserts for lunch when we come out here because there's nothing wrong with just eating desserts. She also brings a brush for me to comb her hair. She says it helps her relax. She always tells me stories of when she was little and when I was little and tickles me and chases me around. Then we both fall on the ground holding our tummies giggling like there's no tomorrow. Mom is the bestest mom ever.

I take off into a run and squeal in delight when we get close to our secret spot. This is where all of my happiest memories were made.

Mom is laughing at me chasing a yellow butterfly I've never seen before. Mom has the prettiest laugh in the world. It's like little silver bells chiming in harmony.

"Christian, come here! Let's eat something before we play," Mom says. I run over to her and hug her legs. She hugs me back and I'm enveloped with her smell of spring. It's calming and it makes me smile.

We sit down and eat pancakes because I love pancakes. Especially Mom's pancakes. They're chocolate chip with hot syrup, whip cream, and a strawberry on top. Mom laughs again when she sees I have whip cream on my cheeks and kisses it off. I giggle as she attacks me with little kisses.

After we finish lunch, we lie back on the grass and look up at the clouds. I see one that looks like an angel. I point it out to Mom but she goes quiet all of a sudden. I don't know why.

"Mom? What's wrong?" I ask. I'm a little worried.

"It's nothing Christian," she says. Then she turns to me and smiles. Mom has a great smile.

"Have I ever told you the story of when you first smiled at me?" Mom asks. I shake my head and she goes on.

"It was when you were born. They let me hold you. You were such a loud baby, but when you were in my arms, you got quiet. Then you opened your eyes, my eyes, and smiled right at me. Then you giggled and kicked your feet and I felt like the happiest mother in the world. All of my doubts disappeared and you made me laugh at that moment. You were such a beautiful little boy, Christian. You still are," she says. She has tears in her emerald green eyes. I go over and hug her hoping she won't cry.

"I love you, Christian. I always will," she whispers in my ear.

"I love you too, Mom. Forever and ever and ever," I say back.

She smiles again and then starts tickling me. I squeal and tell her to stop but she continues. I tickle her too and she starts giggling with me. Then she chases me around like last time and catches me. She spins me in her arms until it feels as if there was no one in this world but us two. We're both laughing together when we fall to the ground. I get up as fast as I can after the ground stops spinning and run to the swing.

"Come on, Mom! Push me!" I call to her.

She gets up and runs over, her hair behind her, catching drops of sunlight.

"Okay, Christian. You ready?" she asks.

"Yes!" I giggle. She pushes me higher and higher. It feels like I'm flying. I'm laughing and Mom's laughing too. I tilt my head to see Mom upside down. The wind's blowing her hair and her eyes are sparkling. She's smiling at me with all the love in the world. She looks like an angel. My guardian angel.

After we're done swinging, we lie down on the grass again, both of us tired but happy. We watch the sunset together and I curl up in her arms while she sings to me. It's the same lullaby she sings to me every night ever since I could remember. I don't mind, Mom's voice carries in the breeze so that if feels as if the stars are singing with her. My eyes get heavier and heavier until I can't keep them open any longer. I know as long as Mom is there, nothing bad could ever happen. She'll protect me. She'll be there for me. She'll always love me. Forever and ever and ever.


	6. Chapter 6: Getting Sassy

I look around feeling nervous. Wendy told me this morning she would invite Carrots over to learn to ride a horse. I want to see her. For the past few weeks, all I've been doing is catching glimpses of her in the ski lodge. Mainly because I still felt bad about leaving her alone like that at her first lesson and I don't know what I should do about it. I've wanted to talk to her. To apologize for being a jerk that day.

But I'm with my dad doing chores. Well, actually, we finished chores and we're getting ready to ride back to the barn.

"Wanna go and see your sister and her friend?" my dad asks.

This throws me off for a second. But I think I recover quick enough for my dad not to have noticed. Besides, he would want to meet Clara. Wendy never stops talking about her.

"Yeah, sure," I say. I hope I didn't seem too eager about it.

"How's your crush coming along?" my dad asks. Obviously I seemed too eager to go see my sister and Carrots.

"What are you talking about, Dad? I don't have a crush on anyone," I say. That's a lie. I have it bad for Carrots. I try not to blush cause it's odd talking to my dad about who I supposedly like. I'm probably not doing a good job because my dad still has a suspicious smile on his face.

"Oh yeah?" he asks. "Then why are your ears pink?"

"Uhh... Sunburn?" I say. My dad laughs so loudly, I swear anyone within a hundred miles heard it.

"Sure Tuck, whatever you say," my dad says, still chuckling about the sunburned ears. "I've seen how you look when your sister talks about Clara. Never seen that expression on your face before. It looks like you've got it bad for this Ms. Clara. Wendy too."

I make a face when Wendy talks about Carrots? I need to play some more poker...

"Alright, alright. You caught me red-handed, Dad. I have a 'crush' on Clara," I say. "You'll see why. She's perfect."

"I'm sure she is if she knows how to give my son a sunburn on his ears," my dad says. We both start cracking up.

I see her. She looks beautiful. Her hair is whipping behind her like fire in the sunlight and she's sitting in her saddle like she was born to ride. This can't be her first time riding. There are horses in California, right?

Wendy and Clara head toward the barn, toward us. I start getting nervous again. What should I say to her? That's another first, me at lost with words. What is she doing to me?

"Hey there!" my dad calls. "Looking good."

"Thanks. I'm Clara," she says with a friendly smile. I don't think she's ever smiled at me that way. Dang, she has a great smile...

"I know," my dad says. "Wendy's been talking about you nonstop for months now." He grins at her back and I'm glad he didn't add anything about me looking like a lovesick puppy while Wendy talked about her. My dad's the best.

"Dad," Wendy mutters in embarrassment. She comes up to rub Ruby, my dad's horse. I would be embarrassed too if dad said anything about me liking her. I'm still embarrassed that he knows.

I look over at Clara and realize that the reason why she looked so confident was because she was on Sassy.

"Oh lord," I laugh. "She's got you on old Sassy."

She keeps her expression cool. Is she mad at me? She leans forward to stroke Sassy's neck.

"I like her," she says. Yeah, I like Sassy too. She's a sweetheart. Which is why we put her with little kids.

"She's the horse we put little kids on," I tell her. Sorry, can't help it. It's fun to tease her.

"Tucker, shut up," Wendy says.

"But it's true. That horse hasn't moved faster than a snail in about five years, I think. Sitting on her is practically like sitting in a chair," I say. Wendy shoots me an irritated look. I can tell that I get on her nerves, but she could let up just a little. She knows that I'm just teasing, right? And that I really like Clara but I don't want her to know just yet. She probably doesn't know that I like her best friend, but then again you never know...

I see Clara give a I-know-something-you-don't smile and whisper something in Sassy's ear. In less than a second, Sassy perks up as if she was shot with life serum. In another second, they're galloping and a speed I haven't seen Sassy do since I was twelve. I can't keep my eyes off the both of them. Especially Clara. The wind's in her hair, making it dance like sparks. She's has great form and is riding like a pro. She has the same confidence in riding as she does in skiing. This is definitely not her first time riding. That's just impossible. Clara's laughing. I can hear it from the barn and I want nothing more than to laugh with her riding right beside her. I want to make her laugh like she's the happiest person in the world. A laugh like that is earned and I want to be the only one to make her laugh that way.

I hear Wendy take in a breath beside me and I see why. They're going to crash into the fence! Doesn't Carrots know how to stop? And Sassy's not dumb, should she be stopping by now and not charging toward the fence like a knight charging in battle?

The next thing I know, I'm watching time dramatically slow down. I still can't believe what I saw. Sassy jumped the fence! She barely made it, mind you, but it was incredible. I don't think I've seen anything like that from the old girl.

Clara pulls Sassy back and together they trot back to the barn toward us. I know I must look like an idiot, but I really didn't expect that from either of them.

"Whoa," she says to Sassy. The two of them stop right in front of us. Clara looks a little sheepish but her eyes are shining and she can't stop smiling. She was really happy right now.

"Holy smokes!" Wendy gasps. "What was _that_?" _That's what I'd like to know too._ I realize that my mouth is still hanging open so I quickly shut it.

"I don't know," she says. She laughs but it seems a little forced... "I think it was mostly the horse's idea."

"That was amazing!" Wendy gushes. Talk about puppy love.

"I guess she still has a bit of sass in her after all," she says to me. _Carrots is looking at you. She's looking at you! She wanted to prove you wrong. She cares about what you think about her. Carrots cares about you!_ My brain is babbling and so I try thinking of peanut butter. Thinking peanut butter helps me focus.

"That sure was something," my dad says. "I didn't know the old girl had it in her." I'm not sure anyone did.

"How long have you been riding?" I ask. I want to know. Probably all her life if she can do that.

"This is her first time, isn't that amazing?" Wendy says. "She's a natural."

Her first time? I know Wendy wouldn't lie and seeing that Carrots is blushing a little, it really must be her first time. _But that's not possible. No one could do that their first time riding. _

"Right," I say. I look at Carrots and meet her gaze. "A natural."

I have a feeling the both of us know that wasn't natural. Carrots is hiding something about her. Something big. And I'm determined to find out what.

I don't think about that too much because it looked like she had a really good time today. Watching her riding was beautiful. She looked as if she was flying. Everything she does looks like she was flying. Her laugh was like music to my ears. She was my little bird in the sky. I want to hear her laugh again. I want to race her across the grass. I want to be with her every second of the day. She was beautiful and perfect to me and I wanted to be perfect to her. This crush I have on her isn't going away any time soon and I'm perfectly fine with that.


	7. Bonus Chapter: Seeing is Believing

**Don't hate me on this too. I completely and fully understand that this is the only Tucker POV fanfic on on and some of you all like keeping to the book. Well, this is chapter concerns Tucker and his growing love for Clara. Enjoy Wendy's POV and please please please review! Thank you all for reading!**

"So, have you asked Jason Lovett to prom yet?" Clara asks all of a sudden. We're brushing up old Sally in the barn and making mild conversation but I never expected Jason Lovett to come up. Gosh, I must be blushing like an idiot!

"It's prom," I say. I try to keep my tone light, but that just seems to make me sound even more embarrassed. "He's suppose to ask me, right?"

I look up at Clara and see that she has a small mischievous smile on her face. Darn that girl, she's so lucky she's my best friend.

"Everyone knows he's the shy type. He's probably intimidated by your beauty. So you should ask him," she says. Beautiful? Me? No way, Clara must be going crazy. I'm not beautiful, I'm just me. But Jason Lovett is pretty shy, maybe I should ask him. There's nothing wrong with a girl asking a guy to prom...

"But maybe he has a girlfriend back in California," I say. I really hope he doesn't, but it's a possibility. He's a cute guy...

"Long-distance relationship. Doomed. Anyway, you don't know that for sure," she says. "Ask him. Then you'll find out." She says it so casually, as if it's not that big of a deal... I guess it really isn't.

"I don't know-" I start.

"Wen, come on. He likes you. He stares at you all through English. And I know you've got the hots for him, too. What is it with you and Californians anyway?" Clara asks. There's silence for a moment. There's nothing wrong with me and Californians, they're just usually very bossy... Especially to people from families like Tucker and I, but that doesn't bother me too much really. It really bothers Tucker because he cares about people. Speaking of Tucker...

"So what's going on between you and my brother?" I ask. Tucker's been starring at her ever since the first day he met her. He has this mysterious smile on his face every time talk about her or someone else talks about her. Of course I know my twin brother likes her! He might not think I can read him as much as he can read me, but boy is he wrong. And I have a feeling he's not going to tell Clara how he feels about her anytime soon. She deserves to know. She's my best friend and he's my brother. I'm doing both of them a favor.

"You're brother?" Clara asks. "What do you mean, going on?" Aha, so she doesn't know about his crush on her.

"It seems like there's something going on there," I say. And it really does. More so for Tuck than Clara.

"You're joking, right?" she asks. "We just like to mess with each other, you know that." That's not all I know, Clara. I know that Tucker likes you and deep down, I think you like him too.

"But you like him, don't you?" I ask.

Clara's mouth falls open and she's starting to blush a little. "No, I-" she starts to say. I interrupt her.

"You like Christian Prescott," I say. Now, I'm not trying to push my brother on her, but it really isn't good for her to obsess over Christian Prescott. I know she has a crush on him, it's obvious every time she looks at him. But him and Kay are never going to break up and I don't want to see Clara get hurt. I look at her questioningly so she doesn't feel as if her emotions are obvious. "Yeah, I could tell," I say. "But he's like god. You worship the gods but you don't go out with them. You only like guys like that from a distance." By the way she looks at me, I can tell she already knows all this. Then why is she trying so hard to be noticed by him? I know there's another reason, but I don't press her about it.

"Wendy-" she starts. I cut her off again.

"Look, I'm not pushing you on my brother. It kind of gives me the creeps, truthfully, my best friend dating my brother. But I wanted to tell you in case you _were_ interested, that I'd be okay. I could get over it. If you want to go out with him-" I say.

"But Tucker doesn't even like me," she sputters out. I think she's a little mortified of having this conversation. And really? She can't tell how crazy my brother is for her?

"He likes you," I tell her. She should know, I can tell he really cares about Clara. Next thing you know, he's going to be writing poetry and songs about her eyes and hair!

"Could have fooled me," she says.

"In grade school, didn't you ever have a boy punch you on the arm?" I ask. Of course she has, I bet Clara was such a cutie in second grade.

"Tucker's a junior in high school," she says.

"He's still in grade school, trust me," I say. I don't know what it is about teasing Tucker behind his back, but it's really fun. Especially when I tease him to Clara.

She stares at me...

"So you're saying that Tucker's such a jackass because he _likes_ me?" she says. _Yes._

"Pretty much," I say. She shakes he head a little.

"No way," she says.

"The thought never crossed your mind?" I ask. I would've thought the guy was a complete jerk or he sort of liked me since guys just never seem to grow up.

"No!" she says.

"Huh," I say. Honestly, I really didn't know what to say at this point. "I won't stand in the way or anything. It's okay."

Clara's nervous now. She swallows and then says, "Wendy, I don't like your brother. Not that way. Not in any way, really. No offense."

"None taken," I say and shrug. "I just wanted you to know I'm okay with it, the you-and-Tucker thing, if there's ever a you-and-Tucker thing." I say.

"There's no me-and-Tucker thing, okay? So can we talk about something else?" she asks.

"Sure," I say. I can tell that Clara's a little annoyed about the topic. She'll get over it, but this conversation is far from over. I want to tell her about how great Tucker is and how she should forget about Christian Prescott. I know there's a bigger reason for her crush on and it's okay that she won't tell me about it, but I wanted to give Tucker a chance. We starting talking about classes and teachers and homework and other stuff while we're finishing up in the barn, but I can tell that she's thinking a bit about what I just told her. I hope someday soon she'll see what I see cause there's definitely something worth believing in.


	8. Bonus Chapter: Where You Are, I Belong

**Hey hey hey, guess what day it is! It's Valentine's Day (A.K.A. Suck-It-Up-Singles Day) and I thought it'd be nice to add a chapter on, oh I don't know, Tucker and Clara's first Valentine's Day (this is before the epilogue of Boundless and after all the Triplare drama in Boundless)? I know it's a bit early for this, I promise to move the chapter later on, but it's always nice to read something sweet on Valentine's Day. So enjoy and review! x)P**

I see her golden hair catching in the sea breeze as she walks toward me on the sugar white sand. I missed Jackson Hole and it's snow, but California was pretty sweet. Actually, I didn't care where I was anymore. Wherever she was, I was home.

I start to feel self-conscious about tonight. _Will she like it? Am I doing this right? Do I look good enough for tonight? _I never knew Valentine's Day could be so stressful.

She looks up and smiles at me and starts to run. I run to her too, grinning like an idiot like I always do when I'm with her. Within moments I had her in my arms, spinning her while she laughed like the happiest person in the world. I set her down and looked at the girl I fell in love with. All I can think about right now is how amazing she looks in her flip-flops, jeans, and light blue t-shirt that brings out the blue in her eyes. Man, am I one lucky guy.

"Hello to you too," Clara says, her cheeks still pink from the running and spinning. God, she's so cute.

"Haha. Hi, Carrots,"I say. She smiles even wider. I knew it, she secretly loves the nickname.

"So I'm here and today's finally Valentine's Day, now tell me what we're doing tonight!" Clara says. She hates surprises, I bet I've been driving her crazy for the past two weeks. I told her I planned something special for tonight but never elaborated and refused to talk about Valentine's Day ever since because I knew that something would slip when I was around her. "The suspense is nerve-racking!" I wink at her. She'll know soon enough.

"You'll see," I say. I pull out the blind fold I kept in my pocket and turned her around to tie it for her. She starts to giggle again. Clara has the greatest laugh in the world.

"And what am I suppose to see with this on?" she says.

"You won't see anything. Not yet at least," I reply. I hope she'll be surprised.

Without warning, I scoop her up in my arms and she screams a little. I laugh. This is a lot of fun.

"Tucker Avery, put me down now! I'm a grown woman and I can walk for myself!" she yells. Oh Carrots, you know that's not possible.

"I'm well aware that you're a grown woman Carrots, but what if you fall? I think I'll hold onto you for your own safety," I say and laugh again. She laughs with me this time.

I carefully walked over to the spot that I set up for tonight. Her arms find their way around my neck so that she doesn't fall over and I pull her close enough to feel her warm breath on my cheek. I wish the night would never end.

When we get to the spot, I lower her and take the blind fold off. She blinks at me and gasps when she sees my surprise.

"I know it's not much, and it's not fishing on a boat, but I hope you like it," I say sheepishly. She turns to me, tears sparkling in her eyes.

"Tuck, it's perfect," she says. I'm so happy she loves it.

We sit on the picnic blanket on either side of the candles in the middle. We ate our lasagna and drank champagne while talking about school, friends, and family. I fed her chocolate covered strawberries, her favorite fruit. After we were finished with our dinner, we blew out the candles and packed everything up. We laid back down on the blanket and curled up together to look at the stars and listen to the rhythm of the waves lapping against the beach. I could smell her strawberry-vanilla smelling shampoo and feel the heat from her touch.

"Clara, are you happy?" I ask.

She sits up and looks at me with her startling eyes.

"Yes Tucker, I'm happy," she says. She smiles at me and bends down to kiss my cheek. "I'll always be happy when I have you here." I sit up with her and kiss her. It was short but sweet. I see that she's blushing right now. I give her a devilish grin and stand up and throw her over my shoulder.

"Tucker!" she yells. I run to the water and put her down.

"It's cold!" she screams. I laugh, and pull her close to me again, warming her up a little. I look down at her. She's so beautiful, it takes my breath away.

"I love you Clara," I tell her. I smile down her with all the love in the world. "Happy Valentine's Day." She stands on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around my neck. I kiss her, tangling my hands into her soft hair. I knew then that I would never let her go again. I would never hurt her and I would always be there for her. I would give her the sun and moon, and move heaven and hell to be with her. _Wherever you are, Carrots, is where I belong._


	9. Chapter 9: Queen Carrots of England

Angela walks in with glasses with a poster board in hand. _I never knew Angela had glasses..._ I use to have a crush on Angela in middle school, but that's a thing of the past now. Not that Angela Zerbino wasn't beautiful in a goth way, but I was on my hands and knees for Carrots. Who so happened to be Angela's partner... _Where is she? Is she sick?_ I start to worry. I was looking forward to seeing her today.

Angela turns to the class after she sets up her project.

"'The Historical Timeline of the Great Queen Elizabeth Tudor,'" says Angela. "Presented by Angela Zerbino and Clara Gardener."

"Well, that's never come up to topic," says with a wink to the class. We all laugh. Almost every other year, we have a project on Queen Elizabeth.

Angela goes on talking about King Henry Tudor the VIII (of course she told the famous love story of King Henry and Anne Boleyn) and his children. Angela's very good at presenting, but I didn't pay much attention because I spent the whole time worrying about Carrots. Finally, after Queen Mary (A.K.A Bloody Mary) died, Angela announced, "So without further ado, I give you Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth the first of the house of Tudor, Queen of England and Ireland... Tucker get the door."

I get up as I can without looking obvious that I was relieved and excited to see her for the first time today. I open to the door and I freeze. I felt my mouth drop as I gazed at the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. She had on a gown that looked as if it was made of real gold and silver decorated with pearls in intricate patterns. Her hair was parted in the middle and tied back in a elegantly braided bun. Her face was painted pale white and her lips were as red as cherries. She had a crown of pearls on her head with a wedding veil attached to it. A single teardrop pearl rested on her forehead has if she was going to be showered in sheets of jewels. _Holy horses, I am never going to look at another girl for the rest of my life. _

She walks in with her chin up and her eyes determined as if she was the real Queen of England. Never mind Queen Elizabeth Tudor, Carrots was a thousand times more beautiful and powerful.

I hear the class take a breathe. _Yes people, she's even more beautiful than Helen of Sparta._ I see Christian stare at her and I start to get annoyed. _Prescott, you better blink right now before I pound you for starring at my girl,_ I think. As if he heard me, he blinks and looks around. That was weird but I was grateful that he was no longer starring at Carrots.

"Queen Mary is dead," Angela says, interrupting the silence. "Long live Queen Elizabeth."

I edge my way to the back of the class to see her better. I watch as Carrots closes her eyes and takes a breathe. She opens her eyes and addresses us.

"My lords, the law of nature moves me to sorrow for my sister," she says in a flawless British accent. "The burden that is fallen upon me makes me amazed, and yet, considering I am God's creature, ordained to obey His appointment, I will thereto yield, desiring from the bottom of my heart that I may have assistance of His grace to be the minister of His heavenly will in this office now committed to me." She pauses for a while. It feels like forever even though it was only ten seconds. She has a blank expression on her face and then blinks as if she doesn't know where she was. Someone snickers and I had to use all my self-control not to smack him. She's looking at someone but I don't know who.

"Your Majesty?" Mr. Erikson prompts. Her eyes flash and she starts where she left off in her speech.

"Take heart," she says to the same someone she's looking at. I crane my neck to see that she's starring at Christian and he's smiling at her. I'm beyond annoyed, I'm absolutely furious. He's playing with her feelings. "I know I have a body of a weak and feeble woman. But I have the heart and stomach of a king," she finishes with a wistful smile.

"Here here!" Angela exclaims. "Long live the queen!"

"Long live the Queen," Mr. Erikson says, nodding his head in approval.

"Long live the Queen," echos everyone else in the class. Everyone except me.

"Long live Carrots," I whisper.

Angela starts talking about what Queen Elizabeth did and why she was so beloved by the people of England.

"Of course for a long time all anybody in England seemed to be interested in was finding the right husband for Elizabeth," Angela says. She's looking at Mr. Erikson in determination. "Everyone doubted that she'd be unable to rule by herself. But she turned out to be one of the best and most revered monarchs in history. She ushered the golden age of England." Angela's always trying to prove that women were just as good as men if not better. I swallow the urge to chuckle. Then I remember something and what's a day without teasing Carrots?

"Yeah, but didn't she die a virgin?" I ask.

Apparently, nothing fazes Angela and she starts talking about how Queen Elizabeth used her virgin status to make her more attractive. I can't help but smirk when Carrots catches my eye. My heart starts doing summer-saults. _She's looking this way! At you!_

"Sir Tucker," she says.

"Yeah?" I say, still smirking cause I don't want anyone in the class know how excited I am that she's talking to me.

"I believe the correct response is, yes, _Your Majesty_," she says. You can't help but love her, she has a great sense of humor.

"Yes, Your Majesty," I say as sarcastically as I can.

"Have a care, Sir Tucker, lest you find yourself in the stockades," she says with a smirk of her own.

I scoff, and look at Mr. Erikson. "She can't do that, can she? She's not the ruler of this class. Brady is."

"She's queen today," Mr. Erikson says while leaning back into his chair. "I'd shut up if I were you." _Haha, a note of warning would've been nice before I teased her today._ I was not ready to die figuratively or literally.

"You could strip him of his title," Brady suggests. "Make him a serf." _Thanks man, I owe you one for sending me to poverty._

"Yeah," Christian says. "Make him a serf. Being a serf blows." _It would if I had any intention of being Tucker V._

"Or you could get rid of him altogether." says Mr. Erikson, laughing. "Throw him in the Tower of London. Have him drawn and quartered. Maybe the rack. Or a red-hot enema,"_ Yeah, it sure would be great to die in a red-hot enema._

"Perhaps we should put it to a vote," she says, looking at me coolly.

"All in favor of death to Sir Tucker the heretic, raise your hand," says Angela quickly.

I look around the classroom at the raised hands. It's unanimous. Except for me, standing in the back with my arms crossed.

"Red-hot enema it is," she says.

"I'll mark it down," says Mr. Erikson gleefully.

"Now that that's settled," says Angela, "let me tell you about the defeat of the Spanish Armada."

She casts me a triumphant glance. The corner of my mouth lifts in a half smile. I nod at her, as if to say, Touché.

Point: Clara.

I gave myself a mental shrug. I had it coming.

Angela finished her lecture about the rest of Queen Elizabeth's life while Clara stood to the side, looking amazing. Class ended and the two hurried out, probably to get ready for their next class without looking like a 15th century fashion models. I look down the hall to see Carrots and the veil lifting behind her, the fabrics swishing around her feet trying to dodge the students in the halls. I didn't just see Queen Elizabeth incarnate this morning, I saw someone else. Someone... unearthly. I smile to myself. _Queen Carrots, you amaze me every day._


	10. Chapter 10: Will You Go to Prom With Me?

"Turn right over here, Tuck," said Wendy.

We pulled up into Carrots's driveway ten minutes early. I feel a little jittery. This is the first time I've ever been here since Wendy usually rides with Clara. And I wanted to ask her something...

I get out to look around. They have a nice place. It calms me down a little. It's sort of like being on my piece of land that Gramps left for me with the fresh air and birds and trees. I turn and see her coming out the house and that calmness I had a moment ago vanishes.

"Hey Carrots," I say. "Beautiful day for shopping." Honestly, I've never understood girls and shopping when it's perfectly fine to wear a hoodie with jeans and tennis shoes (or snow boots, depending on what time of year it is). But prom's around the corner so I guess girls all over the world are wasting away a beautiful day for the mall.

"Yep," she says. Best come back she's ever attempted.

Wendy slams the door and says 'hi' to Angela. They start, what I personally think, an awkward conversation. I turn back to the woods before I start starring at her or say something that I didn't mean to say like maybe that I think she's beautiful and that I really like her. Out of my peripheral vision, I see Clara walking down the steps towards me. _Calm down Tuck, she's just walking down the stairs to talk to you. No big deal other than the fact you've wished since day 1 that she would come up and talk to you._

I didn't know what to talk about so I decided to talk about prom since Wendy has either been constantly talking about prom or her internship.

"Shopping for prom, huh?" I ask. I realize how uncomfortable I was now that I brought prom up. She probably has a date with a really popular guy like Christian. I try to keep my shoulders from sagging at the thought since I really wanted to ask her out to prom today even if I'm going out with three other girls that night. I know how that sounds, and I'm not a player, I swear. They were some of my friends on the rodeo team who didn't have a date and this is the first year to prom, nobody has to be dateless unless they want to be.

"Um, kind of." she says. "Wendy needs shoes. Angela's after accessories, since her mom's making her dress. And I'm along for the ride, I guess." _That's weird..._

"You're not going to prom?" I ask.

"No." she glances away uncomfortably, back toward the house. I see Wendy turn her head back to Angela and starts talking more seriously. That was weird too

"Why not?" I ask. I mean, come on, someone had to have asked her. She's gorgeous, any guy would be lucky to dance with her.

She gives me a "why do you think?" glare and it hits me. No one really has asked her. That's a little depressing since all the guys I know talk about her and how hot she is.

"No one's asked you?" I ask for clarification. I might have read the glare wrong.

She shakes her head. "Shocking, right?"

"Yeah, actually, it is." I say. She's beautiful and smart and I bet she's a great dancer. I'd be the happiest guy in the world to have her in my arms all night. _Now's your chance, Tuck! Ask her to prom! You can't let her skip it!_

I rub the back of my neck because it suddenly gets hot from how nervous I am. I look back at the woods because I don't really want her to see me blushing like crazy at the moment. I clear my throat so my voice doesn't crack when I ask her out. I'm about to ask her to be my date when my tongue betrays me.

"Go stag," I say instead of 'Will you go to prom with me?'. _Darn it! _"That's what I would do." _That's is most certainly NOT what I would do! I would most certainly like you, the girl of my dreams, to go to the dance with me!_

"I guess," she says with laughter in her voice. My ears turn pink. I really didn't mean to tell her to go stag, but if she does, I would still get a chance to dance with her that night. What bothers me is that all the other guys who like her will also get a chance to dance with her.

Seeing that this conversation is making the both of us a little awkward, I start to get ready to leave.

I turn to Wendy. "I gotta take off. Come here a sec," I say to her.

"Clara's going to take me home," she says. "So I won't be needing your services anymore today, Jeeves." I nod. _Thanks a lot sis for embarrassing me in front of Clara... _

I take Wendy's arm and drag her over to the other side of Blue Bell since Clara was still standing where she was while we were talking.

"I don't know what prom shoes cost, but this might help," I say to Wendy in a low voice since whispers are annoying and easily heard. I know Wendy probably brought her allowance, but I know prom means a lot to her so I took out fifty dollars and handed it to her so she could buy new shoes or accessories.

"Tucker Avery," Wendy says. "You know I can't take that." I knew she was going to say that.

"I don't know anything," I say back.

She snorts. "You're sweet. But that's rodeo money. I can't take it."

"I'll get more," I say. I really wanted to make it easier for her. I still have the money in my hand and I tried to put it in hers.

"No, Tuck," she says. "I brought some of my own money. You worked hard for that and I'm not going to take it."

"Okay, fine," I grumble. I give her a quick one-arm hug and I sneak the money in her pocket. I turn and get in my truck so she doesn't find out about it while I'm still there. I pulls around the circle of Carrots's house, and stop. _I'm forgetting to do one last thing._ I pray that this time my tongue won't go haywire on me this time. I roll down the window to lean out.

"Have fun in Idaho. Don't provoke any potato farmers," I say. _Okay tongue, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You know full and well that was not the thing I wanted to say._

"Right. Because that would be bad," Wendy says.

"Oh, and, Carrots . . ." I say. _Now we're getting somewhere, Tuck._

"Yes?" she asks.

"If you end up going to prom, save me a dance, okay?" I say. I drive out as quickly as I can with old Blue Bell, but not before I caught her expression. It was so adorably confusing that I couldn't help but laugh knowing she wouldn't hear me in my truck. After that, I drove away.I couldn't help but smile all the way to the Lazy Dog. I was so proud that I worked up enough courage and got my tongue to function correctly to finally sorta ask her to the dance. _Come on, prom. I've got a date with the lovely Ms. Carrots._


	11. Chapter 11: What Happens At Prom?

**Whoooo! Guess what's happening tonight! PROM! Hope you enjoy one of the best Tucker/Clara moments in the series! Please read and review! x)P**

I'm looking around the museum trying to spot her. I have to admit, the prom committee did a pretty good job with the decorations. But I was too busy looking for her while I danced with one of my dates. I can't even remember who I was dancing with right now. Oh wait, it's Allison Lowell. But I'm not paying attention to Allison or the music or the decorations. _Where are you Carrots? You owe me a dance tonight._

She walks in at that moment. She looks amazing in her turquoise dress. The way she fixed her hair and how she stands makes her look heavenly. Like those life-size statues of gods. I look next to her and see something I don't like.

I almost stumble with shock. _What the heck is Christian Prescott doing with my girl on prom night?!_

Looking at Clara, I see that she's smiling at him with her eyes twinkling in the low lights showing how much she likes him. I'm instantly jealous. I'd have given everything to be with her and for her to smile at me like that. Why does she do it for Prescott and not me. I focus on Christian. He seems distracted and seems like he's looking for someone too. He gives up and takes a picture with my Carrots.

They head to the dance floor and all eyes are focused on them. They don't seem to notice, but the entire school is thinking the same thing: _Christian and Clara? _or _What about Kay?_

They look very good together. It looks as if she's having the time of her life, talking and laughing and dancing with him. It ticks me off even more. I want to be the one with Carrots in my arms, dancing with her as if we've done it all our lives. But I'm swaying with Allison right now... Swaying and wishing she was another girl.

I can see Christian looking at Kay. He looks as if he's in pain and I realize then that he loves her. Or loved, can't really tell at the moment. I eye Carrots with protectiveness. _He's not going to hurt her. Prescott won't go low enough to use her. He won't. He's not a bad person. _I wasn't reassured.

Clara stops and looks up at Christian as if to tell him that she thinks he's a good dancer but she freezes when she locks eyes with him. I see Christian stop dancing too. For a moment, they look at each other with so much intensity that they could light a fire without flint. Everyone stops dancing to stare at them. I start to worry. Then Clara's knees buckle and I let go of Allison. I don't get to move a millimeter before Christian snapped out of his trance and catches her. She looks shocked and confused and a little scared. I want to go and hold her and tell her it will be alright, whatever it is. I see her whisper something to Christian and run out the door. I look out the window and see her silhouette outside leaning against the wall. I start to walk toward the door, but Christian is there in a second. I'm jealous that I'm not the one talking to her out there, that I'm not the one making sure she's alright. I clench my hands into fists.

I feel someone touch my arm and I turn to look at Allison Lowell's brown eyes.

"You alright, Tuck?" she asks. I give her a fake smile.

"Yeah," I lie. I am very far from alright at the moment. "I'm just going to get some punch." I stalk over to the line of refreshments, glancing at the window every few seconds.

I hear the squeal of the microphone and Mr. Erikson's voice calling for our attention.

"We will be announcing the Royalty in 5 minutes," he says as I sip my punch. I see Christian walk in with Brady. Without Carrots. _Should I go out there? Should I stay here? Does she want to be alone right now? Is she crying? Is she going home? _I can't hear the announces or the claps and cheers. I can't hear anything. I don't care about anything. I care about her.

"And the prom king is..." Mr. Erikson says. Everyone holds their breathe. "... Christian Prescott." Carrots comes back in. She looks tired. It hurts to see her so tired. I wonder if she knows what Christian being prom king means.

"And now the prom queen," Mr. Erikson says. "Kay Patterson." Everyone applauds even more this time. I had my eyes on my Carrots this entire time and at Kay's name, she drops her head. I wanted to go comfort her but I didn't know if I should. I was waiting for her to lift her head back and shake it off as if it were nothing. She doesn't.

"Now, as is customary, the king and queen will share a dance," says Mr. Erikson. I feel as if I should do something about all of this. I don't think I can but I want to. Everyone's whispering excitingly at Kay and Christian dancing. The "it" couple is back together again. I look over at Carrots. Her shoulders are slumped in defeat. It broke my heart. Seeing Carrots hurt like that, it was driving me insane. Nobody messes with my girl's feelings.

That did it, I was going to walk over to her and dance with her. She deserves to have a great time and watching the guy you like dance with someone else isn't really a good definition of "great time".

"Hey Carrots," I say. I see her cringe a little but it doesn't bother me right now. I'm determined to get her to dance with me.

"Not now, Tucker. I can't deal with you right now," she tells me. _I beg the differ, Carrots. I think you could stand to deal with me right now._

"Dance with me," I say. Nothing's going to stop me. I said it and I'm determined to make it happen. _Say yes say yes say yes!_

"No," she says. _Well that was a total buzz kill..._ No, I refuse to make that an option right now.

"C'mon, you look pathetic standing here watching your date dance with someone else," I say to her. I wince. That came out more mean than I expected it to. But I know her. She likes a challenge.

She turns to glower at me. _Definitely wasn't the best choice of words._ I can tell she's considering my offer now because of the way she starts biting her lip a little.

"Fine," she says. _Wait... was that a yes? YES! It was a yes! _I thought she would be more challenging than that, but hey, I'm not going to complain.

I hold out my hand and to my surprise she takes it without hesitation. I take a shallow breathe. _I am holding her hand!_ I lead her to the edge of the dance floor where no one will bother us. She puts her arms around my neck and my heart starts to skip. I've been dreaming about this moment since the day I took Wendy to her house. I couldn't stop looking at her. I realize what I said about her looking like a statue of a goddess was wrong, she look even more beautiful than those statues. I felt my knees wobble a little being this close to her. Her scent of sunshine and flowers filled my heart until I thought I would burst. But I don't. I continue to dance with Clara, hoping that this moment would never end. I smile when she starts relaxing.

"Where's your date?" she asks. I inwardly sigh. I knew she would ask that eventually, but did it really have to be while I was having the best moment of my life dancing with her?

"Well, that's a complicated question. Depends on what you mean," I say.

"Who did you come with tonight?" she asks. She probably thinks I don't know where my date is... It was inevitable. I had to tell her.

"Her," I say, gesturing with my head to Allison Lowell over by the punch table.

"And her," I say, looking over where Miranda Weatherson, a senior, was requesting a song.

"And her," I say, pointing at Ava Peters who was dancing with Eric Manners, captain of the ski team.

"You came with three girls?" she asks. I peek at her and see the disbelief in her eyes. I think she's hoping that I'm just playing around with and that I didn't actually bring three dates and came stag like I suggested to her. But the truth is is that I really did bring three dates. _I know what it looks like, but I'm not that kind of guy. Nobody asked them and I decided that maybe they should come with me. They're not really dates, more like friends that I drove here. I'm sort of like a butler. I don't like any of them, they're just friends. I really like you and I've been wanting to dance with you all night._

Instead of telling her the jumble my brain is thinking, I say,"They're on the rodeo team. None of them had dates, and I figured I was the only one man enough to handle the three of them." _Please please please don't let this ruin our dance._

"You're unbelievable," she says. I look at her again and I see a little smirk on her lips. She thinks this is funny. Well, I guess it is.

"And you came with Christian Prescott," I say. "Your dream come true." I realize that was a mistake because I see her smirk slip away and glance at Christian and Kay over her shoulder. _Great job, Tuck, you really nailed that one down._

I look at Kay and Christian to see what Carrots is staring at and see that Kay is crying on Prescott. I guess she loves/loved him too. I see Christian lean close to Kay and whisper something in her ear but it just makes her cry harder. Clara tenses up again. I feel a little bad for Kay too. I've never really talked to her before, but I know she's not a bad person since she and Wendy use to be best friends when we were kids.

"Man, you couldn't pay me to be in his shoes right now," I say, trying to ease the tension. Obviously it didn't work since all I got back was a glare.

"Sorry," I tell her. "I'll shut up."

"You do that," she says. She has her little smirk back and all I can think about right now is kissing it off her. Of course, I don't so we just continue dancing without another word while I try to hide my smile. When the song ends, I almost ask her to dance with me to another because I didn't want to let her go. But I don't think she'd appreciate it.

"Thanks for the dance," I say instead and drop my arms. It feels a little chilly without her close.

"Thanks for asking," she says, but she's not looking at me. She's looking at Christian with longing in her eyes. I turn to see why and find Christian holding Kay like he use to hold her when she was upset. _Does Carrots want him to hold her like that? Or does she want someone to lover that way?_ Christian leads Kay to sit down and goes get her some punch, but she waves it away. She has the same tired and defeated look that Carrots had earlier tonight. I tense up beside Clara as Christian walks toward us, blushing as red as an apple.

"I am so sorry," he says to Clara. "I didn't know this would happen."

"I know," she says so quietly that I had to strain my ears to hear her. "It's all right. Where's Kay's date?" I know her and it really isn't alright. She just watched her date comfort the girl he loves/loved. Carrots isn't stupid, she knows what happened.

"He left," Christian tells us. I'm shocked by this. Why would someone leave Kay? She's pretty (definitely not my type) and smart and a great person so I'm told.

Carrots seems to be surprised too.

"He left," she repeats incredulously.

"So I was thinking," Christian says, blushing again, "that I should take Kay home." I look to see that Carrots is starring at Christian with her eyes wide and mouth slightly open, stunned. I want to punch Prescott. He's hurt Clara enough tonight, and now he's going to leave her here while he goes of with his ex-girlfriend?! I clench my hands into fists again and try to calm down. Then an idea hits me.

"I'll take Clara home," I say. Clara jumps a little. Maybe she just realized that I've been standing here this entire time, but it doesn't bother me to know that she doesn't really pay attention to where I am right now. I'm too mad at Christian to really care about anything else.

"No, it'll only take a minute," Christian protests, standing a little straighter as if I'm challenging him on whether or not he's man enough to do anything. I guess I sort of am, but in this situation, I win.

"The dance will be over in ten minutes," I say to him. "You expect her to wait for you in the parking lot?" I glare at him. Who does he think he is hurting my girl like this?!

Clara's shoulders droop again. Christian looks a little green at how right I am.

"Go ahead and take Kay home," Carrots says. She looks as if she's about to cry but she's holding them in until no one is around. "I'll ride home with Tucker.

"That's all right with you?" Christian asks. _OF COURSE IT'S NOT ALL RIGHT WITH HER!_

"Sure," she says. "I have to be home by midnight, remember?" She gives a shrug as if this whole thing is no big deal, but the way her shoulders are shaking slightly, this is a really big deal to her. I feel bad. I can't comfort her. A fat lot of use I am.

"I'll make it up to you," he says. I mentally snarl at him. _No, I don't think you will. And I'll sure of that._ Instead of saying what I want to, I settle on rolling my eyes at him.

"Okay," she says. She looks to me. "Can we go now?" I almost fall to my knees then and there. I look at her gray-blue eyes and saw so much pain and heartbreak from tonight. I feel like such a loser. I can't do anything to help her.

"You bet," I say. I watch as she goes to find Wendy and Angela to say goodnight. Then I got tell Allison, Ava, and Miranda that we're going now and that Clara's going to come along. I run to Bluebell and drive her over to the front of the museum where I see Carrots waiting (and all my other dates). They cram in my truck and we go home. I check in the mirror to see how Carrots is doing. She just looks empty and my heart a littler more every time I see her. This should have been a great night for her, but it turned into a disaster. Rumors are going to fly around everywhere on Monday. After I drop Miranda off, she says, "Bye Fry." After that, it's just Carrots and me in my truck. I start to get nervous. What should I say? Evidently, I don't have to say anything since Clara finally talks.

"So... Fry, huh?" she teases. I smile. Teasing is a good sign, right? "What's that about?"

"Yeah," I say. I shake my head a little. Boy are the people here crazy. "In junior high they called me Friar Tuck. Now it's just Fry. But my good friends call me Tuck."

We pull into her driveway, but she doesn't get out right away. As she opens the door, she stops and looks at me.

"Can you... not mention this whole fiasco to anybody else at school?" she asks. The way she looks, she really doesn't want anyone to know about this embarrassing night. But it's a small town. By morning, half the population will know what happened.

"They already know," I say to her. "One thing about Jackson Hole High, everybody is in everybody's business."

She sighs. That probably wasn't what she was hoping for.

"Don't worry about it," I say. She shouldn't, it'll blow over by the end of the week.

"Yeah, they'll forget by Monday, right?" She gives me a sheepish smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

"Right," I say. And it's probably true. It isn't like she cut down all the trees in town or anything. This won't make the town records.

"Thanks for the ride," shes says. "Fry." _Oh, just great._

I groan and then grin. My Carrots will be back by Monday. "My pleasure." I see her look at me funny.

"See you," she says and jumps down from the truck, slam the door shut, and make her way over to her house. But I'm not done yet. I have to ask her something that I've wanted to know for a long time.

"Hey, Carrots," I call suddenly.

She turns around and looks at me again.

"You and I will probably get along better if you stop calling me that," she says. _No way, you know you love it._

"You like it," I tell her with a smirk. Not that she could see it or anything.

"I don't," she says with a little life in her voice.

"What do you see in a guy like Christian Prescott?" I ask, serious again. I want to know. No, I _need_ to know. She deserves more. Than me and Christian, but I want to know what she sees in someone like him. He's always going to be Mr. Popular and I'm always going to be Tuck. I want to know what she sees in someone like the king of social status that she can't see in me.

"I don't know," she says tiredly. "Anything else you want?"

I feel my face go slack. That wasn't the answer I was looking for.

"Good night, then," she says and heads back to her house.

"Night," I say, and I drive off.

I dreamed about her being my only date for prom, us two dancing and laughing and having a great time. How we would steal a kiss here and there while Mr. Erikson wasn't looking. There would be no Christian drama to upset her, just us two. I dreamed about how it would feel to be so close to her again and smell her shampoo of sunshine and flowers all night long. I dreamed about how she would finally see that I was there and that I loved her. That I wanted to be with her and make her happy. _I love you Clara. I really do._


	12. Chapter 12: So Long, Farewell Not

**I'm so sorry that I haven't been updating this fanfic! School is getting so busy during the 2****nd**** semester! It is summer vacation for Clara and Tucker, so things are going to get a little steamy in Jackson. Hope you enjoy! **

"C'mon, Tuck!" Wendy says while bouncing in her seat like she did on car trips when we were little. "Hurry up already!"

I smile at her persistence. Wendy has been going on about this veterinary internship since last summer. Seeing her so excited makes me happy even though I don't show it.

"Hey, now, you could at least show a little gratitude. I am the one driving you."

"Yes, yes, I am forever indebted to you, now please step on it. I know you want to see Clara as much as I do," she says. I almost stopped the car.

"What are you talking about Wends?" I ask. _Wendy knows?!_ _How long? Has she told anyone? Has she told Carrots?_ I can feel her looking at me.

"Tuck, I've known for a while now. It was pretty obvious to me. You can't hide these things from your twin," she says. There's an awkward silence in the car. _No chance of backing out of this one._

"Okay, so I like her. Don't say a word, you hear?" I say. It's mortifying enough Dad figured it out, adding Wendy to this is unimaginable. I would die on the spot if Carrots found out before I told her.

"Lips sealed," Wendy says with a smirk. No matter how much I love my sister, she can be a real pain.

"Have you thought about what I suggested?" she asks.

I've been stealing glances at Carrots after prom wanting to tell her how I felt but knowing it wasn't the right time. Heck, I don't know if there will ever be a right time but you can't just go up to a girl and profess your love to her, can you? But Wendy's suggestion was perfect and I've been thinking about it almost non-stop. Not that I was going to tell her so.

"Nope," I lie. "Didn't cross my mind till you mentioned it just now." Wendy doesn't look convinced. Luckily we were coming up close and Carrots's house was just around the bend.

Now, let me tell you that I would never have expected to find a Silver Avalanche parked in my Carrots's driveway much less seeing her and Prescott standing way too close, talking. _What is he doing here?!_

Christian and I were never really friends and we didn't hang around with the same crowd but after prom, I couldn't stand to look at him. Leading Carrots on like that, it's not something I would let go easily. It's already frustrating enough that I know she stills crushes on the guy, but it's even worse when you know he doesn't deserve it.

Wendy's already out the car and the way that her shoulders are tensed up I can tell she doesn't approve of Clara and Prescott either. I smile. There's my sis for you.

I roll down my window to see if I could hear any of their conversations, but beyond Bluebell's engine, nothing. _Dang it!_ I sat back and watched everything from the driver's seat of the window. _Why's Prescott here? I thought he would already be in the Big Apple by now. Why was he standing so close to Carrots? I want to hit something. What if he hurts her again? _

I watch as Wendy and Carrots talk to each other. I'm glad that she's ignoring Prescott's presence while talking to my sister. _Wendy's the best._ Though I will never admit that to her in person.

The way Carrots's shoulders slump a little makes my heart throb for her again. She really will be lonely with everyone gone, won't she? Carrots runs into her house for a minute and comes out with something in her hand. I can't make out what it is, but judging by Wendy's shocked expression, it wasn't an extra pair of socks.

Clara says something and Wendy looks at the present for a minute then takes it with gratitude shining in her eyes.

I check my watch to see how much time we have left. I tap the horn. _Time to get going._

They hug and I'm immediately touched by their friendship. I'm glad Wendy has a best friend like Carrots, it's made her much more lively.

I hate to break their hug but…

"Sorry, sis, but we have to take off now. Can't miss your plane," I say.

"All right, all right," Wendy says to me. She hugs Carrots one last time then dashes for Bluebell while I look to see if I can get out. I notice that the Avalanche is blocking me. _I think it's time for Mr. Popular to go too._

I call out of my window, "Hey Chris."

"How's it going, Friar Tuck?" he says and smiles at me. I don't smile back.

"You're blocking me," I say. "I could go around, but I don't want to mess up their grass." I smirk inwardly.

"Yeah, no problem," he says. Then he looks at Carrots. I make a fist. _Chill, Tuck, he's just going to say so long, farewell, and be on his way to New York City._

Then Prescott hugs Carrots. I can hear myself breathing really hard. I can't see anything but red. _Nobody. Hugs. My Clara. Especially. Christian. Prescott._ I feel Wendy put a hand on me. I have to struggle with the urge to jump out the car and beat Prescott to pulp for touching my Carrots. I rev my engine instead, making Carrots jump and they pull apart. I close my eyes take a breath to clear my brain. _Man, what has gotten into me?_

When I open my eyes, I see Prescott saying goodbye and walking away. _Good for him._ He looks up as if he heard this and he nods to me. I glare back at him. He doesn't seem to notice and walks toward his truck.

As our trucks are driving away, I look into my rear-view mirror to see Carrots waving at us with her hair blowing in the breeze and dust floating around her feet. I breathe in a lungful of air. _She's so beautiful._

We get to the airport with 26 minutes for Wendy to go through security and get on her flight. Before I pull up at the entrance, I'm struck with a little emotion. My wonderfully annoying twin sister is going to be miles away and I'm going to miss her to death.

"Have fun, Wends," I say. Thankfully my voice didn't crack. That would've been embarrassing. "I'll miss you, sis." I see Wendy's eyes glaze over a little. She leans over to hug me.

"I'll miss you too, Tuck," she says as she pulls away and gets out the truck. She turns around and smiles. "You have a good summer too." I give a little wave and put Bluebell into drive.

"Hey, Tuck," Wendy says. I look up to see that she's still there.

"Yeah, what's up, Wends?"

"Promise you'll think about my suggestion?" she says. I can feel my ears heat up. After our whole emotional brotherly/sisterly goodbye, she brings this up?

"Uhh…" I say. I can't think. "Sure."

"You better," she tells me. Then she puts her serious face on. "She's not going to wait forever, you know. If you don't do something, you'll lose her." She smirks at me. _Jesus, my sister is challenging me to date her best friend. _

"Whatever Wends," I say and roll my eyes. I look back at her and match her smirk with my own. _Challenge accepted. _We say goodbye and I watch her as she walks into the building.

As I'm driving, I'm thinking about what I'll do with Carrots this summer. Wendy's already planned for me to take Carrots out starting on her birthday, June 20. I smile. I'm not backing out this time. Clara is going to be mine this summer and I'll do everything I can to make that happen. I glance out the rolled-down window as the trees of Jackson Hole pass by in a blur. _Bring it on._


	13. Chapter 13: Happy Birthday, Carrots

**Heehee, I'm so excited to be writing the summer portion of Tucker's POV! Happy Birthday Clara (so jealous that you have Mr. Absolutely-Positively-Gorgeous-And-Sweet-And-Funny-And-Everything-A-Girl-Could-Ever-Want-In-A-Boyfriend spend time with you)! Read, enjoy, and review! X)P**

"Breathe, Tuck, breathe," I say to myself as I work over the nerves in my truck. "Just walk in, give her the shoebox and wait for her reaction. If this plan doesn't work, it's all on Wendy."

Today was the day. June 20. Wendy called yesterday to go over (for the millionth time) what she had planned for today. _Okay, I'm ready for this._ I get out the truck with the shoebox tucked under my arm. _It's all good, Tuck. Go with the plan and you'll do fine._

It feels as if I'd taken a whole lifetime to get to Carrots's porch, but here I am. Wendy told me that Carrots's mom was in California for the time being and that Jeffery was busy cruising somewhere with his new car. In other words, she was completely alone. My palms start to sweat. It's finally happening; I'll finally spend some time with her. No Wendy, no Angela, no Christian, just us.

Everything starts to sharpen. I thought I could see the particles in the air and hear the birds chirping from a mile away. I could feel the Jackson Hole sun shining on my back, burning me through my shirt. I lift my hand and then knock on the door. I drop my arm and hold my breath.

In no time, Carrots opens the door. When she sees me, her eyes widen just a little and a little smile is forming on her lips. I don't know if she's conscious of her smile, but it makes my heart soar. _She's finally smiling at me!_

"Hi," she says.

"Hi," I say back. _Smooth._

I focus on the rest of her and notice that she's in pink pajamas with the word 'princess' embroidered on the right side of her shirt. I purse my lips to fight off my laugh. She's so adorable but I never would've guessed that she would own pink pajamas much less ones that say 'princess' on them. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I've had my fair share of princess experiences growing up with Wendy.

"Just get up?" I ask.

She looks down quickly and realizes that her hair is wild and she's in her pj's. _God, I love her._ She takes a step back into the door and raises one of her eyebrows that I notice are not orange. _That's weird._

"Can I help you?" she asks. _Uhh… Well, I'd be honored for you to jump into my arms and kiss me…_ I mentally shake my head.

I hold out the shoebox. "Wendy wanted me to give this to you," I say. "Today."

She gingerly takes the box out of my hand and I can see how happy she is that Wendy remembered.

"There's not a snake in here, is there?" she asks jokingly. _No, there isn't._ I think. _There's something better._

I grin at her. "I guess you'll find out," I say.

I'm surprised that she starts to turn back into the house, but I don't move. Wendy's orders. She glances at me wondering what else there is.

"What, you want a tip?" she asks. _Ha-ha. Good one._

"Sure," I say.

"I don't have any cash," she says. "Do you want to come in?"

"Thought you'd never ask," I tell her. She motions me inside and I start getting nervous and excited at the same time. I think I should pinch myself. Just to make sure I'm not dreaming.

"Wait here," she says. She puts the shoe box on the kitchen counter and sprints up the stairs.

I turn in a circle. It's very clean in here. I started wondering if Carrots could cook. I decide that it's a little creepy wondering if the girl of your dreams could cook so I head to the living room. I doubt she'd mind. At least I wasn't attempting to sneak upstairs. I sit on the couch and wait. _Should I pose or something? Wait. That's stupid._ I hear her coming down the stairs and make a decision on the spot. _Pose it is then._ I put my feet on the coffee table and look out the window at the aspen tree dancing in the wind, trying to be as casual as I can.

She's there. I can feel it. But all I can think to say is, "Nice tree." _And we have a winner! The world's lamest pick-up lines award goes to the one and only Tucker Avery!_ I really don't do very well under pressure…

"Open it," I say next. _We're getting somewhere._

I hear her shuffle to the kitchen to open the box. I know what's inside. They is a pair of Wendy's hiking boots that she's worn for about a year for hiking and chores and a note that Wendy wrote before she went to D.C. I opened it about a week before today (with Wendy's permission).

"There's a note," I tell her. _Nothing wrong with a little reminder._ I think about the little note that I'd already memorized and imagine words, pretending that I'm reading it with Carrots. I start to relax at that thought.

_Dear Clara, I am so sorry I can't be with you on your birthday. While you're reading this I'm probably shoveling horse puckey or worse, so don't feel too sorry for yourself! The boots are not your birthday present. They are a loaner, so take care of them. Tucker is your birthday present. Now before you get that mad face, hear me out. Last time we talked, you sounded lonely and like you weren't getting out much. I refuse to allow you to mope around your house when you're surrounded by the most beautiful land ever. No one on earth knows this part of the country better than Tucker. He is the finest tour guide to the area that you are ever likely to meet. So suck it up, Clara, put on the boots, and let him show you around for a few days. That is really the best possible present I can give you. Big hug! Love,Wendy._

As I remember the letter, I think about how much I owe Wendy for this. She really is the best sister anyone could ask for.

I haven't looked at her. I don't know why. Maybe I think that if I look, all this will disappear and I'll find myself in my bedroom or something. I know, silly. But I feel her eyes on me and I know she's done reading. I sigh inwardly. _My turn._

"She wanted me to sing you a little jingle, too, like I'm a singing delivery guy," I say. It was a suggestion over the phone a week ago that I immediately vetoed. I found it weird that I was still talking to a tree, so I decided to glance at her without another thought so I wouldn't talk myself out of it. My breath caught in my throat again. That seems to happen very often lately. She's wearing a yellow-and-blue flannel shirt and jeans with her hair tied back in a braid with her usual amount of minimum make up that I liked. Even if I saw her every day for the rest of my life, I would never get use to how beautiful she is. I smile at her and remember what I was going to say before making a fool of myself. "I told her where she could stick it."

"She says…"

"I know," I tell her. I sigh inwardly and look at her again. I'm suddenly very aware of the fact that it's only us two in her house, but I can't do anything. We're not together yet and I bet she doesn't really like me all that much. I sight inwardly again. She's got a little look of hurt in her eyes that I can't place. I realize that sighed out loud as well. _Oops._ _Way to go, Tuck, you've hurt the lady's feelings. _I get up from the couch and look at her. I didn't really know what to do today. I have no idea how a girl's mind works so I'm completely clueless about what a beautiful 17-year-old would want to do with a guy like me on her birthday. She's seen the mountains in Cali since there are some right next door to the state, she's probably been hiking and fishing too. _Hmm… I wonder if she's seen a river before. _I've got just the plan now.

"What?" she says a little hotly. I don't know what I did to make her frustrated, but now wasn't the time. We had to go now while the day is young!

"That's pretty good," I say looking at her clothes. "But you'll have to go back upstairs and put on a suit."

"A suit?" she asks. _Oh, she doesn't know if I'm talking about a tux or a swim suit._ I smack myself mentally. _Way to think it through, Tuck._

"A swimming suit," I clarify.

"We're going swimming?" she asks. _Does she not want to? Does she have other plans? Can she not swim? Does she not like the water?_ She glances at me out of the corner of her eye. She starts blushing and then blinks away. I have to restrain myself so I won't go pull her in a hug and kissing her cheeks so she would blush more. She's so cute when she blushes.

I snap out of my fantasy and gesture toward the stairs. We aren't really going swimming, but cannon balling is guaranteed. She smiles at me and runs up the stairs again. I'm relieved that she's so enthusiastic about this. I start to get a little confident about this whole spend-time-with-Clara-and-get-to-know-her-over-the-summer plan. Wendy was right about one thing in the letter, I'm the best tour guide around when it comes to Jackson's natural beauties.

A few minutes pass, and Carrots comes back down looking like she did before with a towel in her hand. I tell her to put the boots on. After she's ready, I walk her to Bluebell and open the door for her. I walk around the front and get in. My palms start sweating again. _She's in my truck. We're going to Hoback River. In my truck!_ I'm ecstatic; I can't believe this is finally happening. We haven't been in the same vehicle since prom night (which I promised never to discuss again).

We drive along the road in silence and I can tell that Carrots is a little uncomfortable. I'm not sure why, whether it's because she doesn't really like me or if she does like me but is nervous about being in the same space. Then she says:

"Does this thing have air-conditioning?" _Stop overreacting, Tuck!_ I grin and shift to a higher gear. Then I reach across Carrots to roll down her window. I haven't been that close to her since we danced at prom and it gives me goose bumps even though it's hot enough to cook scrambled eggs on the roads.

"I could have done that," she says. She's still a little tense. I give her an easy, relaxed smile and she answers it with one of her own.

"That window can be tricky," I tell her. After that the drive is silent but after I reached across her to pull down the window my mind's been a little distracted. So I start whistling the first song that comes to mind, which so happens to be "Danny Boy". That tune has been stuck in my head ever since Wendy sang it at the Spring Choir Concert. I steal a look at Carrots and see that her arm is out the window and she has a light smile on her face. Her head is bobbing a little and I can tell she recognizes this tune.

We turn on the highway toward the school when Carrots asks, "Where are we going?"

"Hoback," I tell her. I shoot another secret look at her and catch her expression of dissatisfaction. I mentally laugh. There are tons of "Hoback" places, so obviously she can't figure out which one is that we're going to.

About half an hour passes and I take the left at the crossroad after the Hoback General Store. We cruise toward the mountains and on our right is the fast-flowing green Hoback River.

"Is that the Snake River?" she asks as she pulls her arm in from the window.

"Nope," I say. "That's the Hoback."

I can smell the river and pine trees from the open window on Carrots's side of the truck.

"I love the smell of sage," she says and takes a deep breath. I don't know why, maybe I was just nervous and excited all over again because we were making some conversation, but I blurted out a fact that our Biology teacher taught us in our freshman year of high school about sage. I snort as I remember the way Mr. Barnes said it.

"Sage is a fighter," I say. "It spreads over the land like wildfire, sucking up all the water, the nutrients in the earth, until everything else dies.

"It's a hearty little plant, that I'll give it. But it's gray and ugly and ticks love to hide in it." Yup, Mr. Barnes was sage's number one fan. "Have you ever seen a tick?" I ask curiously. I look at her and see her expression. It's shocked I guess. _Oh darn, maybe that was a little aggressive… Nice one, Tuck. Bravo!_ I cough and say, "Sage does have a nice smell."

Thankfully, before I could have another chance to chase her away, I swerve into the small grassy turnout that everyone uses when they come. We get out the truck.

"We're here," I tell her, turning to face her to see that she's starring at the 'PRIVATE PROPERTY. TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT' sign with a wary maybe-this-isn't-the-best-of-ideas look. I raise my eyebrows at her before she turns to look at me. _You coming?_

I swing myself through a gap in the log fence and hold out my hand. _I haven't held her hand since prom. Please please please it's not sweaty and gross._ She takes it and I thread her through the fence. I continue to hold her hand as I lead her to the Jumping Tree (that's what everyone calls it) so she doesn't fall on the beer cans littered everywhere… And also because I don't want to let go just yet.

At the bottom, I stick my towel at the base of the Jumping Tree and start stripping. My ears start to get warm when I realize I didn't warn her to turn away but when I look up, she has her back toward me unbuttoning her flannel shirt. I blush some more and turn to look at the river so she won't beat me up for being a Peeping Tom or something. I hear her move her stuff somewhere to my right but don't turn to look.

"What now," she asks.

"Now we climb the tree," I say. _Let the fun begin!_

I think it's safe to look at her now. I turn to face her. _Wow._ She looks stunning. The sapphire blue color of her bathing suit makes her eyes (that are currently looking at the rope and ladder) look even bluer than they are. The cool river breeze is stirring some of her hair that escaped her braid. I am never going to get tired of watching her.

"I think maybe you're trying to get me killed on my birthday," she says teasingly. I know she's nervous, she teases more when she's nervous and I can see the worry in her eyes that she's trying to hide. I can't say the Jumping Tree is exactly 100% safe, but it's sturdy enough. I think.

I smile at her, hopefully reassuring her.

"Why don't I go first?" I ask. That way if I come crashing down, she won't get hurt unless I fall on her. I don't let her say anything and start to climb. My hands and feet move on their own after coming here hundreds of times every year. I reach the top in what seems like no time and grab the rope. I look down through a gap in the branches of the tree that will just barely let me see her.

"Come on up here," I say. "There's room for two."

I watch as she climbs the makeshift ladder a little awkwardly. When she's on the last few rungs, I give her my hand for the second time today and haul her up to the highest branches.

I turn to grasp the rope I let go of when I hauled her up. When I have a hold of it, I turn my face up toward the sun and close my eyes. This was my favorite part as a kid. This and the jumping of course, but I loved being up this high with the sun's warmth enveloping me. I always felt like the king of the universe when I was up here.

"They call this the Solarium," I tell her with my eyes still closed.

"This, like where we're standing?" she asks. "The top of the tree?"

"Yeah," I tell her. I open my eyes and adjust to the light. "Kids from school have been coming here for generations," I say. Which is true, everyone at Jackson who's been here since they were a kid has come at least a thousand times.

"Hence the private property sign," she says, turning away to look toward the road.

"I think the owner lives in California," I say wryly. _Crap, I didn't mean to insult her!_

"Yay for us," she says with her voice laced with heavy sarcasm. "I won't actually get shot on my seventeenth birthday."

"Nope," I tell her while readjusting my hold on the rope. I bend my knees. "You'll just get wet." At that, I leap out of the tree. I holler as I let go of the rope and land in the green waters. I come up for air after the shock of the cold and see her still standing there in the tree. I wave at her as I'm swept downriver.

"Come on!" I yell. "You'll love it." _There's no way anyone wouldn't love this._

She grips the rope more firmly and jumps. I hear her scream as she lets go at the last second. She pops back up, coughing up river water and I see her struggling against the current. I tense up. I have to go help her. I go back under and swim my way toward her. I see her through the murky waters and snake my arm around her waist. I come up for air and almost knock heads with Carrots. I tighten my hold on her with the only thought on my mind being that I have to get her safely to shore. One minute we're in the river, the next we're gasping for breath on the sandy riverbank. I see out of the corner of my eye her flop on her back next to me to watch a cloud pass over. I want to laugh in relief. I pulled her out safely.

"Well," I start, not knowing what's going to come next. "You're brave." That was true.

She glares at me in a I-really-want-to-punch-you way. I try not to laugh.

"That was dumb," she says. "We both could have drowned."

"Nah," I tell her. I would never have let her drown. "The river's not so fast right now. I've seen it worse."

She sits up to look toward the Jumping Tree which quite a long way away.

"I guess the next step is to hike back to the tree," she says, the words coming out clipped. My Carrots is getting a little irritated now, huh? I chuckle and answer , "Yep."

"Barefoot," she says, bordering to frustration.

"It's pretty sandy, not too bad," I say to reassure her. "Are you cold?" I ask. She looks back at me before I can hide the fact that if she was, then I would be glad to put my arms around her to warm her up. She looks a little flushed and I'm not sure if it's because of the sun shining on our faces or in she's embarrassed to be this close to me, but she sure does look adorable.

She scrambles to her feet and starts fast-walking up the riverbank toward the Jumping Tree. I jump up to walk beside her.

"Sorry," I say. I felt bad that I didn't tell her about the Hoback's usual fast currents. "Maybe I should have warned you about how fast the river is."

"Maybe," she agrees. I look at her and I see that her shoulders aren't tensed and she's not glaring up ahead. That's a relief, I didn't want to make her angry on her birthday. "It's okay," she says.

"Want to try it again?" I ask her, and smile. It really is fun to jump off the Jumping Tree, and it's even better doing it with her. "It's lots easier the second time."

"You really are trying to get me killed," she says and shakes her head at me incredulously. "You're crazy." She smiles at me. I guess that's a semi-compliment, semi-insult?

"I work for the Crazy River Rafting Company during the summers. I'm in the river five days a week, sometimes more," I say. I've just basically proved that I live everyday with crazy.

She looks back ahead with an intense look on her face, thinking. I wonder what she's thinking about it.

"Tucker!" someone up ahead yells. "How's the water?"

"It's good!" I call back. "Nice and smooth."

As we reach closer to the tree, I see that there are two other people (Ava Peters and Emily Heinz) who've joined the party. Clara sees the group and sets her shoulders in determination. She climbs up for another go and whoops instead of screaming. I follow her. By the fourth time she jumps, her face is lighting up with the confidence that I've seen in her when she skied and rode Sassy.

I look up from the river to see Ava Peters talking to her. I smile. Looks like Carrots and I will have some mutual friends. I bet Ava's inviting Carrots to her party Saturday. Carrots looks stunned. She turns to look at me and flashes a grateful smile. I'm filled with giddiness after that. It's the smile that I've been waiting to receive the moment I laid eyes on her. I nod at her like I would if I had my hat on.

After jumping from the Jumping Tree about fifty more times, I take her to a birthday dinner at Bubba's. _It's not a date, it's not a date._ I chant to myself. I steal a look at Carrots to see that she's shuffling her feet looking antsy. I bet she's chanting the same thing.

We sit and order Jackson Hole styled barbecue chicken, barbecued beans, and potato salad. When the food arrives, I'm surprised that Carrots doesn't pick at the food and like other girls would when they're on a dinner date. She wolfs it down as if it's the best thing she's ever tasted. I fight the urge to grab my heart. _Oh Jesus, I've fallen in love with her all over again._ She glances at me and blushes a little, probably thinking that I'll tease her for eating so unlady-like. Instead I say, "Get the vanilla custard pie. They bring it with a slice of lemon and when you eat a piece and then bite the lemon it tastes exactly like the lemon meringue."

"Why not just get the lemon meringue?" she asks. Because they don't make homemade lemon meringue. But I don't want Bubba's to go out of business or anything.

"Trust me," I tell her.

"Okay," she says. She smiles and waves for the waiter to order the vanilla custard pie.

"Wow, I am so full," she says when we're done with dinner and dessert (which was incredible). "You're going to have to roll me home." I smile, but I don't know what to say. We sit in a little awkward silence for a minute. I wish this day would never end. I had so much fun with her. I've never felt this way about any other girl I've crushed on in the past. She's incredible and I don't want to take her home. I don't want to leave her just yet. Being near her, it feels like I'm flying. I'm a clutter of emotions and they lift me from the ground into somewhere special.

"Thank you for today," she says. She doesn't meet my eyes and I'm quite stunned that she'd thank me. She didn't have to but here she is, saying those words.

"A good birthday?" I ask. I really wanted to know if it today was as great for as it was for me.

"Yes," she replies. "Thank you, also, for not blabbing to the restaurant so they would come over here and sing to me." I grin. _She hates that too? We have something in common!_

"Wendy said you would hate that," I tell. I mean, I think she said something like that. I look at Carrots and see that she has a far-away look on her face. _What I would give to go to that far-away place with you._

"What are you doing tomorrow?" I ask. I want to spend more time with her. I'm not really sure what it is, but beneath my bundle of emotions that attack me every time I'm around her, there's a sort of calmness that's there, an understanding. I feel like I belong there with her. It's right to be with her. I wonder if she feels this too.

"Huh?"

"I have tomorrow off," I tell her. "and if you want I could take you to Yellowstone, show you around."

"I've never been to Yellowstone," she says.

"I know." Wendy did tell me this. Carrots thinks about this for a while. _Say yes, say yes, say yes._

"I'd love to see Old Faithful," she admits.

"Okay," I say almost too cheerfully. "We'll start there." _I ASKED HER OUT! WAY TO GO, TUCK!_ I'm probably grinning stupidly, but I don't really care right now. This summer might turn out to be the best summer yet! I glance at her as we walk toward Blubell. _For both of us._


	14. Chapter 14: Friends for Now?

**I'm so so sorry that I've taken so long with this! School's been hectic lately. Well, I know you've all been waiting for this for about 2 months, so I decided to write about some small scenes before Tucker's birthday (sorry to leave you hanging… (not really). Enjoy and review! X)P**

I picked Carrots up at her place to go to Yellowstone. I couldn't stop sneaking glances at her. I think she's the only girl in the world who could make a t-shirt, shorts, and old tennis shoes a fashion statement. I spent the time talking about what I wanted to show her and where she wanted to go.

"So, you want to hike to Old Faithful first?" I ask after we get our passes out. She looks at me and scoffs.

"I thought that was the whole point of this park," she says. She's smirking at me. I smirk back. This is going to be great.

_It's awfully noisy here_. I turn my head and Carrots does the same. We see a middle age Asian woman frantically speaking to a park ranger behind us. I couldn't understand her since most of it was in Korean (I think). I turn my head to Carrots and see her looking at the woman intently. _What's wrong?_

"Let's go over there and see if we can help," she says all of a sudden.

"Sure," I say without really thinking about it. She gives me a smile and starts walking toward the Asian woman. I follow her like a puppy. _Can we help? I don't know any Korean and I don't think Carrots knows Korean either…_

"Hi," Carrots says the ranger and the Asian woman. The Asian woman glares at us but doesn't say anything and the ranger looks exasperated. I see Carrots blush a little and I inch closer to her. She glances up at me for a second then takes a breath.

Alright, I expected us to help, but I didn't think Carrots would speak fluent Korean and fix the problem.

Carrots and the agitated Asian woman had a conversation. I looked at them back and forth as they each said something. This was absolutely mind-blowing. Eventually I just stare at Carrots as she translates for the park ranger. One part of my brain is gazing at her in awe. _She's incredible. _But I can't shake off this feeling. I feel as if this is nothing compared to what she can really do. I mean, how many red-headed (well, orange-headed) 17-year-old Californians do you know who can speak fluent Korean. _One_. Fair point well-made brain.

About half an hour passes and they locate a little Asian boy about five-years-old.

After she's done, Carrots looks at me then looks away and blushes. _She's so beautiful when she blushes_.

"Sorry about that," she says. I could barely hear her since if came out in a whisper. She looks up at me again and clears her throat.

"Sorry about that," she says a little more loudly. "I umm… heard her frustration and thought could help. She apparently lost track of her son and couldn't find him."

I don't say anything and she continues to talk.

"I umm… have a Korean friend back in California," she tells me. "And I'm good with languages."

I feel myself nod at her response and there's a moment of silence that hangs between us. Carrots looks at her feet as I continue to stare her. _She looks so normal but there's so many things that I know she's_ _hiding._

I clear my throat this time. "So, should we go have a look at Old Faithful?" She looks up with relief clear in her eyes. I smile at her and hike through Yellow Stone.

We had a great rest of the day. I might have been a little distracted with the earlier events but I couldn't help but tease Carrots about her tripping fifteen times on our hike. The day was worth it when I saw her face as she gazed at Old Faithful. I'd seen this geyser a million times, and it was beautiful and all, but seeing her eyes light up in wonder made the geyser seem breathtaking.

I drove her back home a little after sunset. I didn't want the day to end; I loved spending time with her. Of course I'll see her tomorrow. There's nothing in heaven, hell, or Mother Earth that could keep me away from her now.

She got out the car and turned around to look at me and old Bluebell.

"Goodnight, Tucker," she says.

"Goodnight, Carrots," I say and tip my hat.

She gives me a sad smile. One that I haven't seen since prom. My heart starts to ache a little. _Did I do something wrong? Was today not good enough?_

"Today was amazing," she tells me, her voice laced with sincerity. "Thank you, for everything." With that, she shuts the door and waves at me as I pull out of her driveway.

I replay the day's events and think about how little I know Carrots but I already love her. _What if she's hiding something major? Something I could never forget? What if she pushes me away because of it?_ I shake my head. _Shut up, Tuck. Do you really think you would stop loving her if she did have a secret? If she does push you away?_ I knew that answer before I thought of the question. I look out my window and see the moon peaking for the cloud. I picture her smiling and blushing, her eyes as bright as the stars. _I'll never stop loving her._ I smile at my image of her in my mind. _But she sure is something special._

* * *

I walked up her porch with more confidence this time. A guy could get use to this. I knock on the door and a minute later, Carrots opens it in her sweatpants and black tee glory. Her eyes widen and I wonder for a minute if she thought I wouldn't want to hang out with her after seeing her speak Korean. I give her a smile. _Nice try, Carrots, but it's going to take a lot more than that to get me screaming out the door._

An hour later we're on an inflated river raft with a bunch of tourists and me being the wonderful tour guide that I am, rowing the boat. We're all wearing neon orange life jackets with blue and yellow straps on them but I can't stop suppressing a laugh every time I look at Carrots. She's so adorable but that life jacket looks huge on her (it's not, I checked… twice).

When we hit the first set of rapids and the boat lurches, splashing water everywhere. I remember on my first day, I was nearly thrown off the boat. You get used to it though. I turn to grin at her while the tourists scream and hoot as if they were on a roller coaster. She grins back.

* * *

After the tour I take her to Ava's house. If Ava Peters can do anything in the world, it's throwing an awesome party. I stay close to Carrots. I don't want her to get lost. _Liar, you don't want other guys making a move on her._ Don't want that either.

I introduce her to all my rodeo buddies like Michael Thompson, Natalie DeGreene, and Johnny Shmoeker. I watch the entire time. She looks so happy. Her eyes are lighting up and she's smiling and laughing. I've never really seen her like this. It's a joy to watch.

The guys yell "Fry!" from across the room and fist bump me and Stephanie and her group of girls come up to hug me hello. They say their hellos to Carrots too and give her welcoming smiles and it makes me smile too. Now that I think about it, she never got the chance to make many friends at Jackson Hole High. Sure, she was popular gossip and the stories about why she transferred to Jackson Hole High are hilarious (except the one about her seducing her gym coach).

I glance at her and see that she's flushed. _It's pretty hot in here._

"Hey, I'll go get us something to drink," I tell her. She smiles up at me, gratitude in her eyes.

"Thanks, that would be great," she says. I smile in response and head for the kitchen.

I tense up a little. What if another guy makes a move on her while I'm gone. I mentally shake my head. _Lighten up, Tuck. No one's going to make a move on her. She's perfectly safe and I bet the guys can see how smitten you are._ I feel my ears heat up.

When I get to the kitchen, I debate whether or not I should give her a spiked drink or just soda. I've had a spiked drink before, it's not too bad, but I'm driving and I don't plan on dying tonight. Carrots doesn't look like she's experienced with parties like this… Non-spiked it is. I pour two cups of Coca-cola.

When I cross the kitchen counter, I see Carrots with someone by her side. I tense up again but relax when I see it's just Ava. I hurry over none-the-less. Yup, smitten.

When I get to Carrots' side, I hear Ava say, "Sorry, I thought…" _Curiosity gets the better of me_.

"You thought what?" I ask. Carrots jumps and whirls around to look at me. I can see her blushing furiously. _She's so adorable, but why is she blushing so much?_

"I thought you two were an item," Ava says. _Oh, I get it now._ I want to tell her that Carrots is my girlfriend. I want everyone to know that she's mine. But unfortunately, we haven't gotten that far yet. _I hope we do get there soon._

"We're just friends," I say. I meet Carrots' startling blue-gray eyes to my blue and then hand her her drink.

"What is this?" she asks.

"Rum and Coke," I tell her. _Darn it, tongue! _"I hope you like coconut rum."

She looks at her drink cautiously. I sigh a little on the inside. _I'm glad I didn't actually spike it. _She looks back up at me and smiles. I smile back and we chink plastic cups. She takes a sip. I hold my breathe. _She's going to be so mad when she finds out there's no alcohol in that drink._

"It's good," she says. _Wait, what?_ "thank you." _SHE DIDN'T REALIZE I HAD LIED?! _I turn to Ava before I start rolling on the floor laughing till tears come.

"Nice party, Ava," I say. The laughter subsides for now. "You really pulled out all the stops."

"Thanks," she says serenely. "I'm glad you made it. You, too, Clara. Good to finally get to know you."

My ears heat up again and I catch Ava's eye and I know she knows about how much I like Carrots. _Well, it's not really like, its love._

I look at Carrots.

"Yeah, "she says. She gives Ava a kind smile. "It's good to be known." She looks up at me and I smile at her. I see her smile widen. _I think we will get to be together someday._ And we enjoy the party.

* * *

"What are you thinking about?" I ask. Carrots hasn't said anything in a while and it's making me a little self-conscious.

"You're different than I thought you were," she says. _She's thought about me?_

I keep my eyes on the road but smile at her response. "What did you think I was?" I ask her.

"A rude hick," she says with a hint of laughter at the edge of her voice. I burst out laughing.

"Geez, blunt much?" I manage to ask through my laughing.

"It's not like you didn't know," she says. I glance at her and see she's pouting. "You wanted me to think that."

I stop laughing and don't answer her. _I never wanted you to think I was rude, Carrots. _I was such a jerk then. I hope that I've changed now.

Silence ebbs in the car and I take a breath.

"You're different than I thought you were too," I say.

"You thought I was this spoiled California chick," she says. But I hear relief in her voice. I guess the silence made her nervous too.

"I still think you're a spoiled California chick," I say. She punches me. Hard. _"_Ow. See?"

"How am I different?" she asks. I look at her but she's starring out the window, her arm dangling out as we drive through the trees toward her house. Everything around us sharpens. I can feel the summer air caressing my skin, see every drop of moonlight on the trees, smell the pine in the scented breeze, and hear the crickets chirp even louder as the night goes on as we sit nervous and serious in the car.

"Come on, how am I different?" she asks again. _Alright, I'll tell her._

"It's hard to explain," I say. I rub the back of my neck and think peanut butter. Did I mention that it makes me focus? "There's just so much to you that's under the surface." _Like you skiing like a pro the first time you were on the slopes, and how you looked as if you'd been riding for years with Old Sassy, and when you spoke fluent Korean yesterday._ _And how you've captured my heart._

"Hmm," she says a little quietly. "How mysterious."

"Yep, you're like an iceberg," I say. I mentally smack my hand. _Very flattering, Tuck._

"Gee, thanks," she says more lightly.

"I think the problem is that you always underestimate me."

I hadn't thought about that. But I know that I haven't. I expected her to be great. But the things she's done, they're just not natural. It's almost as if she's not… human. But that's insane. Of course she's human. What else would she be?_ Don't answer that question, Tuck._

We pull up to Carrots' place and it looks dark and empty. She doesn't immediately get out. She hesitates and when I look at her, she's chewing her lip.

"Nope," I say, answering to the "I think you underestimate me" comment and put the truck in park. "I wouldn't be surprised if you could fly to the moon." _Well, I would, but this is a metaphor. _

She sucks in a breath and shifts in her seat. Seeing that she's uncomfortable, I change the subject. But this isn't over. _What are you hiding, Carrots?_

"You want to pick huckleberries with me tomorrow?" I ask.

"Huckleberries?"

"They sell in town for fifty bucks a gallon," I tell her. It may be strawberries everywhere else, but it's huckleberries for Jackson Hole. "I know this spot where there are like a hundred bushes. I go out there a few times a summer. It's early in the season, but there should be some berries because it's been so hot lately. It's good money." _Shut up now, Tucker._

"Okay," she says, sitting up straighter. "I'll go." I can hear her excitement and I smile at her.

I jump out of Bluebell and circle around to open the door for her. _Wouldn't be me if I didn't have my manners._ I hold out my hand and help her climb down from Bluebell. When I let go, my hand feels cold and shivers and running up and down my back. _Peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter._

"Thanks," she murmurs.

"Night, Carrots," I say almost breathlessly.

"Night, Tuck," she says.

I lean against my truck and wait, watching her go inside. When her orange hair is behind the door, I hop back into Bluebell and drive away. _She's very mysterious. She'll tell me someday, I'll just have to wait for that day to come. _I start whistling "Danny Boy". _And we had a good time today._ I grin at the road ahead. _Strike that, we had a great time. _And I drive home with her and only her on my mind.


	15. Chapter 15: Declaration of Fly-Fishing

I was driving to Carrots's house with a goofy grin plastered on my face that has been there since I took her huckleberry picking two days ago. Let's just say that huckleberry fights are awesome (if you don't mind getting permanent stains on your clothes). Today we're going fly-fishing. I planned on spending the day with her and hopefully get enough courage to ask her to hang out with me tomorrow. _It's a special day tomorrow…_

I was whistling "Danny Boy" (I think that's my new favorite song) turned to her house. One minute everything was still and the next, a blurry object was running straight toward Bluebell. The door opens and I yelp in surprise and slam on the brake. She's sitting there in the seat that has become her throne this summer in her hiking boots, shorts, and sports polo glory, her hair a little mussed from the run. She flashes me an innocent smile.

"Let's go," she says. I narrow my eyes. _I don't think so._

"What's with you?" I ask. Fly-fishing is great and all, but it's not something I would die for. She seriously scared me to death. The thought of accidentally running her over sends shivers down my back. _God, if something ever happened to her…_

"Nothing," she says back with the innocent smile still plastered on her face.

I frown. _You know I know you're lying so spit it out already. _She seems to read my thoughts and sighs.

"My mom's back," she confesses. _Oh._ I don't get why she was running away.

"And you don't want her to see you with me?" I ask. _Is she ashamed of me?_ She glances over her shoulder and waves. I turn to look as well and see her mom peeping from the front window of her house, staring at us. I turn to look back at Carrots right before she looks at me.

"No, silly," she says. "I'm stoked to learn fly-fishing, that's all." _Yep, something's wrong._ I know Carrots and never in a million years would she ever call me (or anyone) "silly". I don't believe her and I know she knows that I don't believe her, but I let it slide. I turn back to Carrots's mom and tip my Stetson through the windshield and her mom disappears from the window. I revive Bluebell and pull out of Carrots's driveway. _Well, a fly-fishing we go._

* * *

"Fly-fishing is easy," I tell her about two hours later. I've shown her the basics from the relative safety of the grass and we're going to hit the water now.

"You just have to think like a fish." She smirks at me.

"Right," she says. "Think like a fish."

"Don't mock," I warn looking at her in the most serious way I can without cracking up.

"Look at the river. What do you see?" I ask. Yes, I am fully aware that I'm pulling a Pocahontas moment here.

"Water," she says. "Stones and sticks and mud." _Haha, very funny._

"Look closer," I tell her. "The river's its own world of fast and slow, deep and shallow, bright and shadowed. If you look at it like that, like a landscape where the fish live, it'll be easier to catch one." _Was that too deep?_

I turn to look at her and she's staring at me a little in awe.

"Nicely said," she tells me. "Are you some kind of cowboy poet?" I blush. Never thought of it that way.

"Just look," is all I could manage to mumble through my self-consciousness.

She gazes upriver as I continue to stare at her. I can see that she's looking at the river in new eyes right now, the same eyes that she used to gaze at Old Faithful when went to Yellowstone together. She looks at me and smiles with determination.

"Let's do it." And she lifts up the fly rod.

"I promise, I'm thinking like a fish." I snort and roll my eyes. _Almost._

"All right, _fish,_" I gesture to the river. "Right there's a sandbar you can stand on." She stares at me for a second with bewilderment clear on her face.

"Let me be sure I've got this right," she says. "You want me to stand in the middle of the river?"

"Yep," I say. "It'll be a bit chilly, but I think you can handle it. I don't have any waders your size." She looks at me skeptically.

"This isn't another one of your ploys to have to rescue me, is it?" she says. _Okay, it's nice to rescue you…_ "Because don't think I've forgotten the Jumping Tree." _I haven't forgotten it either._

"Nah," I say with a stupid grin. She rolls her eyes at me but I can see her trying to hide her smile.

"Okay," she says and takes a step into the river. She gasps at the cold and I feel a little bad. _I think I'll ditch the waders today…_ When she reaches the sandbar, I wade out next to her and start to tie the fly.

"This is one of my favorites," I tell her as I attach the bait. "Pale Morning Dun."

"Nice," she says. I look at her and see that she has no idea what I'm talking about. I smile. _You're adorable when you're clueless._

"All set," I say and I release the line take a few steps away from her. "Now try it like we practiced on the grass. Two beats back to two o'clock, one beat forward to ten. Pull out a little line, and back again. Once you cast the line forward, relax it to about nine o'clock." _My summer in a nutshell._

"Ten and two," she repeats. She raises the rid and casts the line backward to the general direction of two o'clock then whips it forward.

"Gently," I couch. "Try to hit along that log over there, so the fish thinks it's a nice juicy bug."

"Right," she says with an embarrassing giggle. "Think like a fish." She tries some more times. She's still stiff, but I don't break her concentration. After about ten minutes she says something.

"I don't think I'm fooling them."

"Your line is too tight – your fly is dragging. Try not to cast like windshield wipers," I say. _Wow, I never knew I could be so forward when I'm near her._

"Sorry," she says in almost a whisper. I run my hand through my hair. I hope she wasn't offended because she's not doing terribly. Okay, so after I saw her ski and ride a horse, I thought she'd be great at this… Turns out she's doing pretty badly compared to those experiences.

I watch her. I can't seem to take my eyes off her. I notice her hair blowing in the direction of the faint breeze, how the water laps at her shins in a rhythmic pattern. I notice her shoulders tensing a little and her golden eyebrows that don't match her hair color and the slight blush on her cheeks.

"This is fun," she says, interrupting my thoughts of how it would feel to run my fingers through her hair.

"Thanks for bringing me."

"Yeah," I say. "It's kind of my favorite thing. You wouldn't believe some of the fish I've caught in this river: brook, trout, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, some brown trout. The native cutthroat are getting rarer, though; the introduced rainbows breed them out." _Okay, so I fish a lot… Nothing wrong with that, right?_

"Do you throw them back?" she asks.

"Mostly. That way they grow to be bigger, smarter fish. Better to catch next time," I tell her. "I always release the cutthroat. But if I catch the rainbows I'll take them home. Mom makes a fierce fish dinner, just fries them up in butter with some salt and pepper, a bit of cayenne sometimes, and it almost melts in your mouth." _Why do I sound so passionate about fishing? I hope she's not bored…_

She smiles at me. "Sounds heavenly."

"Well, maybe you'll catch one today," I say, trying to divert the attention to her.

She shrugs. "Maybe."

"I have tomorrow off," I tell her abruptly. _Now of never._ "You want to meet me at the butt crack of dawn and hike up to watch the sun rise from the best in Teton? It's kind of a special day for me." I look at everything but her. I hope she doesn't reject me. It'll be my birthday after all…

"Sure," she says.

"I can't believe summer's going by so fast. And I thought it would drag on forever," she says. She has a faraway look in her eyes and a ghost of a smile on her lips as if she's thinking that she never wants summer to end. _I don't want it to end either, Carrots._

"Ooh, I think I see a fish!" she exclaims, her eyes lighting up again like a two-year-old seeing a puppy at the park. Carrots starts waving her line around but I can't see a fish anywhere. She might have scared it off.

"Hold on," I groan. "You're just waving it around now." I step toward her right as she cast the line back. _Not good._

The fly catches my Stetson and jerks off my head. I swear under my breath and lunge to try and grab it. I miss. _Not my hat!_

"Whoops! I'm so sorry," Carrots says. She draws the line in and manages to snap my hat free from the hook without slipping in the water. She turns to me, holding my hat like a peace offering. The look on her face tells me she's trying really hard to suppress a giggle. _Oh, I can't stay mad at her._ I look at her with a little mock scowl and snatch my hat back. We both start laughing.

"I guess I'm lucky it was my hat and not my ear," I say through a few chuckles. "Stay still for a minute, all right?" _Just to be safe._

I wade to stand behind her. I'm conscious at close we're standing to each other and I can smell her: sunshine, river water, and the strawberry-vanilla scented shampoo. It's intoxicating. I don't know what I'm doing. I take a strand of her hair between my fingers without thinking. It's soft and silky.

"Your hair isn't really red, is it?" I ask. I'm not sure why I asked. I can see her shoulders tense as she holds her breath.

"What do you mean?" she asks in a choked whisper. I shake my head. _Now, why would you want to lie about your own hair color, Carrots?_

"Your eyebrows," I tell her. "They're, like, dark gold."

"You're staring at my eyebrows now?" she asks, but I can see her relax just a second. I stare at her, the most beautiful girl in the world, the girl I'm crazy about, the girl I love.

"I'm looking at you," I say. "Why are you always trying to hide how pretty you are?" _Clara, you're so beautiful and so wonderful. I wish you could hear my thoughts. I wish you could know how much you mean to me. When I'm around you, I feel like we've known each other for years even though we've only begun to know each other this summer. Clara, I love you. I love you so much already and I can't phantom why. What are hiding, Clara? You can trust me. I won't ever let you down. _She takes a step away from me and everything almost seems to happen in slow motion.

"Whoa," I say. I catch her before she falls headfirst into the river, snaking both my hands around her waist and pull her close to me, bracing her from the current. I close my eyes as I take a few deep breaths with her, taking in her strawberry-vanilla shampoo and the feel of her in my arms.

"You got your legs under you?" I ask after a few slow-pacing seconds pass between us. She turns slightly, but doesn't move away from me. _Good, I'm not ready to let her go just yet._ I close my hand on hers, holding the fishing rod steady.

"Yeah," she rasps. "I'm fine." We stand there for a few more seconds, neither of us moving away. I clear my throat to break the silence that's awkwardly descending on us.

"Watch the hat this time," I say. We lift the rod together and swing it back, then forward, my arm guiding hers. I continue to guide her arm through the motions, telling her in a low whisper as if I was telling her a secret. We try casting a few times, back and forth, me setting the mesmerizing rhythm: _slow back, pause, forward_, over and over again. She relaxes against me as we continue to cast and wait for the fish to rise and take the fly.

"Ready to try it on your own again?" I ask her after a while. I half wished that she would say no, but there's no reason for her to say that. She nods and I let go of hand and move away, missing her nearness. I back toward the bank, pick up my own rod, and head into the river to cast by myself.

"You think I'm pretty?" she asks when I stand a few feet from her. _Oh, I mentioned that somewhere in my trance, didn't I? Totally embarrassing, Tuck!_

"We need to stop talking," I say a little gruffly. My ears start heating up. "We're scaring the fish off."

"Okay, okay," she says. I can hear the smile in her voice. That makes me blush more.

We fish a while in silence, the only noise coming from the river and the rustling of trees. I catch three fish, one of them being the cutthroat. I take a moment to show it to her before I throw the fish back into the water. After another moment, she retreats from the cold water and sits on the bank.

I can feel her gaze on me, but this time, it doesn't feel like I'll burn from the excitement of her noticing me. This time it feels like the sun shining down on me, making everything warm and peaceful. I angle myself and glance at her direction. She looks like an angel, sitting on the bank, watching over me. The rays of sunshine pour over her, bathing her in a soft golden light. And she's giving me that special smile girls give to that special guy. I angle back and face the river with a special smile of my own. I don't think there was ever a time in my life where I knew in that moment, things were meant to be. Until now. Everything about this moment with Clara felt right. Perfect. Destined. And so we just stayed that way, me fishing and thinking about her, Clara sitting on the bank looking at me, while the world around us slipped away.


End file.
